Coherent light generators – Miscellaneous
Patent
1996-12-20
1998-12-15
Bovernick, Rodney B.
Coherent light generators
Miscellaneous
359614, H01S 300
Patent
active
058504125
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a laser generator in which a laser medium is energized, an optical amplifying mirror generates an optically amplified laser beam, and an absorber receives the laser beam.
BACKGROUND ART
In a conventional laser generator, as shown in FIG. 5(A), a laser medium 1 is energized by a laser medium energizing electric power source 2, and an optical amplifying mirrors 3a and 3b performs laser oscillation to generate a laser beam 4. A mirror holder 5 maintains the optical amplifying mirrors 3a and 3b at a parallelism necessary for the optical amplifying, and the laser beam 4 can be taken out of the optical amplifying mirror 3a and 3b if the optical amplifying mirror 3a is a partially transparent type mirror. The laser beam 4 from the optical amplifying mirrors 3a and 3b is received by an absorber 7 after passing an inside of an introduction tube 6 for protecting the laser beam. When the laser beam is taken out of the laser generator to treat a sheet metal or the like, the absorber 7 is moved, e.g., in a direction indicated by arrow A, to prevent the laser beam 4 from being interrupted, so that the laser beam 4 can be taken out of the laser generator. When the laser beam 4 is not taken out of the laser generator, the absorber 7 receives the laser beam 4 to prevent the laser beam 4 from being output from the laser generator.
In this conventional laser generator, as shown in FIG. 5(B), a scattering laser beam 8 which is not absorbed by the absorber 7 and is reflected thereby exists at a circumference of the absorber 7. A temperature of the introduction tube 6 is increased by an irradiation of the scattering laser beam 8 onto an inner surface of the introduction tube 6. The temperature thereof is conducted to the mirror holder 5 so that the mirror holder 5 is deformed by thermal expansion. The mirror holder 5 is directly irradiated by a part of the scattering laser beam 8 so that the mirror holder 5 is further deformed thermally.
As described, there is a problem that the mirror holder 5 is deformed thermally by the scattering laser beam 8 at the circumference of the absorber 7, the parallelism of the optical amplifying mirrors 3a and 3b necessary for the optical amplifying cannot be kept, and a stability of the laser beam 4 cannot be obtained.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present is to provide a laser generator in which the above described problem is solved, and the thermal deformation of the mirror holder is prevented.
In order to achieve this object, a laser generator of the present invention comprises a laser generating device generating a laser beam by energizing a laser medium and amplifying optically it with optically amplifying mirrors, an absorber receiving the laser beam, and a spacer which is arranged at a circumference of the absorber and has a through hole for passing the laser beam therethrough.
More in detail, the laser generator of the present invention comprises the laser generating device which has optical amplifying mirrors at respective ends thereof and interior of which is filled with the laser medium, a mirror holder holding the optical amplifying mirrors, the absorber arranged on a proceeding course of the laser beam generated by the laser generating device, and the spacer arranged between the laser generating device and the absorber and having the through hole on the proceeding course of the laser beam.
Further, the laser generator may include an introduction tube between the spacer and the mirror holder to pass the laser beam therethrough.
And, the spacer may be cooled by a cooling medium, the through hole may have a notched shape, such as a semicircle, a surface of the spacer may be coated with a material for absorbing a scattering laser beam, and the surface of the spacer may have irregularities.
By using these structures, since the spacer acts as a barrier, a great part of the scattering laser beam around the absorber is received, absorbed and reflected repeatedly by the spacer and the absorber before reaching the introduc
REFERENCES:
patent: 5225933 (1993-07-01), Myers et al.
Eguchi Satoshi
Hayashikawa Hiroyuki
Yamashita Takayuki
Bovernick Rodney B.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wise Robert E.
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