Low cost, high average power, high brightness solid state laser

Details Low cost, high average power, high brightness solid state laser Low cost, high average power, high brightness solid state laser

1994-11-15

1996-02-13

Scott, Jr., Leon

Coherent light generators

Particular beam control device

Control of pulse characteristics

372 5, 372 10, 372 12, 372 18, 372 22, 372 69, 372 92, H01S 310

Patent

active

054917077

ABSTRACT:
A high average power, high brightness solid state laser system. We first produce seed laser beam with a short pulse duration and frequency in excess of 1,000 pulses per second. A laser amplifier amplifies the seed pulse beam to produce an amplified pulse laser beam which is focused to produce pulses with brightness levels in excess of 10.sup.11 Watts/cm.sup.2. Preferred embodiments produce an amplified pulse laser beam having an average power in the range of 1 kW, an average pulse frequency of 12,000 pulses per second with pulses having brightness levels in excess of 10.sup.14 Watts/cm.sup.2 at a 20 .mu.m diameter spot which is steered rapidly to simulate a larger spot size. These beams are useful in producing X-ray sources for lithography.
In one preferred embodiment, the seed beam is produced in a mode locked Nd:YAG oscillator pumped by a diode array with the frequency of the pulses being reduced by an electro-optic modulator. In a second preferred embodiment, the seed beam is Q switched and includes a Pockels cell for cavity dumping. In a third preferred embodiment, the short duration high frequency pulses for the seed beam is produced by a very short Nd:YAG crystal and a .lambda./2 Pockels cell.
As compared with prior art high brightness lasers, we have achieved our very high brightness by reducing the pulse duration by about 2 or 3 orders of magnitude, from a few ns to 100 ps or less and by focusing on a very small spot, but we are able to simulate a much larger spot by very rapidly steering our high average power beam over the area we need.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4630275 (1986-12-01), Rapoport
patent: 4646308 (1987-02-01), Kafka et al.
patent: 4930901 (1990-06-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5140600 (1992-08-01), Rebhan
patent: 5339323 (1994-08-01), Hunter et al.

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