Coherent light generators – Particular beam control device – Having particular beam control circuit component
Patent
1995-06-07
1996-09-10
Scott, Jr., Leon
Coherent light generators
Particular beam control device
Having particular beam control circuit component
372 18, 372108, 372 32, 372 94, 372105, 372100, 372 92, 372102, 372 97, H01S 313
Patent
active
055552536
ABSTRACT:
A laser is disclosed whose resonant cavity includes a back facet of a semiconductor gain element as one mirror and a passive resonator as part of a second mirror. Appropriate optics are provided for a round-trip path within the resonant cavity that avoids double-passing the passive resonator so that intracavity losses are reduced and more power is fed back to the gain element, which is the active medium of the laser. By ensuring a high percentage feedback of the radiation to the semiconductor gain element, amplitude stable operation can be achieved while locking the frequency of the gain element to the passive resonator. By providing both frequency and amplitude stable operation, fluctuation of the circulating power in the passive resonator is minimized and, therefore, can be usefully employed for many applications. For example, non-linear crystals of well-known types can be placed within the passive resonator in order to achieve highly efficient second harmonic generation in a power regime and with frequency and amplitude stability that was heretofore unobtainable.
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Amoco Corporation
Jr. Leon Scott
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