Coherent light generators – Particular pumping means – Pumping with optical or radiant energy
Patent
1990-09-13
1992-07-28
Scott, Jr., Leon
Coherent light generators
Particular pumping means
Pumping with optical or radiant energy
372 41, 372 68, H01S 3093
Patent
active
051346265
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates an improvement of a solid laser generator employing titanium-doped sapphire as laser medium.
BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE
A laser generator employing a solid medium is widely used for cutting machines and small-size equipments such as medical laser scalpels. Titanium-doped sapphire is used as solid medium for a laser generator. However, this material has a short fluorescence lifetime, and it does not generate a laser unless adequate excitation is conducted in a short period of time.
In the case of side excitation by means of e.g. a flash lamp as light source for excitation, it is necessary to excite almost the entire portion of the solid medium. For this purpose, it is necessary to input a large quantity of energy in a short period of time. Further, with a lamp such as a flash lamp, lights with wavelengths incapable of exciting sapphire will simultaneously be generated. Therefore, it has been a problem that the conversion efficiency of energy is low.
As a method for improving such conversion efficiency of energy, it has been common to employ a method wherein a solution tinted with a dye capable of converting light in an ultraviolet region to light in a visible region, is circulated to improve the conversion efficiency of energy. However, this method has the following problems:
1. Deterioration of the dye is unavoidable, and its replacement will be required.
2. It is necessary to always maintain the circulation system of the dye, particularly the light conversion portion, clean so that a high light transmittance be maintained.
3. It is necessary to pay an attention for the safety with respect to e.g. the toxicity of the dye. With these problems, this method can not necessarily be regarded as a suitable method.
The present inventors have conducted various studies for a laser generator free from the above problems. As a result, they have found that when titanium-doped sapphire is employed as laser medium (solid medium), efficient laser generation is possible by disposing a certain solid material in the vicinity of the laser medium and/or in the vicinity of the flash lamp. The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of this discovery.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Namely, the present invention relates to a solid laser generator employing titanium-doped sapphire as laser medium and a flash lamp as light source for excitation, wherein a solid material made of cerium and/or erbium-doped quartz glass, transparent plastic or transparent ceramic, is disposed in the vicinity of the laser medium and/or in the vicinity of the flash lamp.
Now, the construction of the present invention will be described in detail.
The laser medium to be used in the present invention is titanium-doped sapphire which is so-called titanium sapphire. The titanium content of this medium is usually from 0.01 to 0.2% by weight. When titanium sapphire is excited by irradiating light, light with a wavelength of about 490 nm is regarded as being most efficient. In the present invention, the above solid material to be disposed in the vicinity of the laser medium and/or the flash lamp is a material which has a property to selectively convert light in an ultraviolet region to light in a visible region i.e. light with a wavelength of about 490 nm and which is transparent to such light in the visible region. The present inventors have conducted various studies for such a material, and as a result have found that when a material prepared by incorporating cerium and/or erbium to quarts glass, transparent plastic, transparent ceramic, etc. is employed, it is possible to efficiently convert and select light capable of exciting titanium sapphire.
The proportion of such additives to the solid material is adequate within a range of up to 1% by weight, although the proportion varies depending upon the solid material. If the proportion is larger than this range, the efficiency of the solid material for converting light in the ultraviolet region to light in the visible region tends to be low, and accordingl
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Optics Letters, vol. 10, No. 6 Jun. 1985, pp. 273-275; P. Lacovara et al.: "Flash-lamp-pumped Ti:A1203 laser using fluorescent conversion" p. 274, right-hand column, last paragraph--p. 275, left-hand column, paragraph 1.
Kodama Nobuhiro
Oda Seiji
Jr. Leon Scott
Tosoh Corporation
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