Hamamatsu-photonics K.k.

Energetiq Technology, Inc.

Akinori Asai

Matthew Partlow

Akio Suzuki

Toru Fujita

Shinichi Ohba

Donald K Smith

Matthew Mark Besen

Stephen F Horne

Tomoya Nakazawa

Ron Collins

Laura Owens

Yusei Nagata

Taiga Morimoto

Kenshi Fukumitsu

Takayuki Ohshiro

Naoya Matsumoto

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing which stores a discharge gas and is provided with a first opening to which first light is incident along a first optical axis and a second opening from which second light is emitted along a second optical axis; a first window portion which hermetically seals the first opening; and a second window portion which hermetically seals the second opening. The housing is formed of a light shielding material which does not transmit the first light and the second light. An internal space is defined by the housing, the first window portion, and the second window portion and the internal space is filled with the discharge gas. The first opening and the second opening are disposed so that the first optical axis and the second optical axis intersect each other.

Light emitting sealed body and light source device

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser that generates a CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal receives the pump light generated by the pump laser and generates pulsed laser light at an output in response to the generated pump light. A first optical element projects the pulsed laser light along a first axis to a breakdown region in a gas-filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A second optical element projects the CW sustaining light along a second axis to a CW plasma region in the gas-filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma and generates a detection signal at an output. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

Laser-driven light source with electrodeless ignition

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates a CW sustaining light and a pump laser that generates a pump. An optical beam combiner combines the CW sustaining light and the pump such that the CW sustaining light and the pump propagate co-linearly. A Q-switched laser crystal generates pulsed light in response to the pump. A gas-filled bulb is configured such that the pulsed light ignites a pulse plasma in a breakdown region of the gas bulb and the sustaining light sustains a CW plasma in a CW plasma region of the gas bulb, thereby emitting a high brightness light from the gas bulb, where the gas-filled bulb is positioned between the output of the pump laser and the pump input of the Q-switched laser crystal such that the CW plasma absorbs the pump light quenching the pulsed light generated by the Q-switched laser crystal.

All-optical laser-driven light source with electrodeless ignition

A method of generating light with a laser-driven light source includes generating a CW sustaining light and propagating the CW sustaining light to a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A pump light is generated. A Q-switched laser crystal is irradiated with the generated pump light, thereby generating pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser light is propagated to the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas so as to generate a CW plasma that emits light. The light generated by the CW plasma in the gas filled bulb is detected. The pump light is controlled so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light after the light generated by the CW plasma is detected.

A light emitting sealed body includes a housing which stores a discharge gas in an internal space and is provided with a first window portion to which first light is incident and a second window portion from which second light is emitted. The housing includes at least one flow path which is partitioned from the internal space and extends toward at least one of the first window portion and the second window portion.

Light emitting sealed body, light emitting unit, and light source device

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing which stores a discharge gas and is provided with a first opening to which first light is incident along a first optical axis and a second opening from which second light is emitted along a second optical axis; a first window portion which hermetically seals the first opening; a second window portion which hermetically seals the second opening; and a first electrode and a second electrode. The housing is formed of a light shielding material which does not transmit the first light and the second light. An internal space is defined by the housing, the first window portion, and the second window portion and the internal space is filled with the discharge gas. The first opening and the second opening are disposed so that the first optical axis and the second optical axis intersect each other.

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal is positioned to receive the pump light and generates pulsed laser light in response to the generated pump light that propagates to a breakdown region in a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma located at least partly in a CW plasma region in the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas and generates a detection signal. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing containing light-emitting gas in an internal space, on which laser light for maintaining a plasma generated in the light-emitting gas is incident; and a charging pipe including a first end portion and a second end portion and connected to the internal space at the first end portion. The second end portion of the charging pipe is sealed by being crushed. The second end portion of the charging pipe is covered with a covering member consists of an inorganic material. The covering member is covered with a cap member consists of a metal material.

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing containing light-emitting gas in an internal space and formed with an opening on which first light is incident and/or from which second light is emitted, wherein the first light is laser light for maintaining a plasma generated in the light-emitting gas and the second light is light from the plasma; and a window member that transmits the first light and/or the second light at the opening. The window member is joined to the housing by a joining material consisting of a material containing gold.

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing containing light-emitting gas in an internal space; a first window portion provided to the housing and on which first light that is laser light for maintaining a plasma generated in the light-emitting gas is incident; and a second window portion provided to the housing and from which second light that is light from the plasma is emitted. The second window portion includes a second window member made of a material containing diamond. A protective layer made of an inorganic material is formed at least on a surface of the second window member on a side of the internal space.

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing containing light-emitting gas in an internal space; a first window portion which is provided to the housing and on which first light that is laser light for maintaining a plasma generated in the light-emitting gas is incident; a second window portion provided to the housing and from which second light that is light from the plasma is emitted; and a getter portion including a getter material and disposed in an irradiation region of the first light inside the housing.

Light emitting sealed body, light source device, and method for driving light emitting sealed body

A light emitting unit includes a light emitting sealed body and a voltage application circuit. The light emitting sealed body includes a container to which laser light for maintaining plasma is incident and from which light from the plasma is emitted, a first electrode which includes a first discharge portion, and a second electrode which includes a second discharge portion. An end portion of the first discharge portion has a shape in which a thickness is thinned as it goes toward the second discharge portion and an end surface of the second discharge portion extends along a plane perpendicular to an extending direction of the first discharge portion. The voltage application circuit controls a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode by adjusting a voltage applied to at least the first electrode.

Light emitting unit and light source device

In a light source device, a control unit causes an energy density of a laser light in a lighting start region RS when a laser support light is maintained to be lower than an energy density of the laser light in the lighting start region RS when the laser support light is put on. For this reason, when the laser support light is maintained, a laser light L is radiated to the lighting start region RS at an energy density of a degree where sputtering does not occur. Therefore, in the light source device, because sputtering in a light emission sealing body can be suppressed, a sufficiently long life can be realized.

Light source device

In a light-emitting sealed body, a metal structure (electron emission structure) containing an easily electron-emitting material is used, so that it is not necessary to perform feeding for discharge between electrodes. Therefore, a feeding member does not need to be connected to the metal structure from the outside of a bulb. In addition, in the light-emitting sealed body, the metal structure is disposed in an internal space S of the bulb and a positioning unit of the metal structure is disposed only in the bulb. Therefore, in the light-emitting sealed body, the metal structure and the positioning unit do not penetrate the bulb and are not buried in the bulb and weakened portions are not formed in the bulb made of glass. Therefore, a sealing state of the bulb can be maintained surely.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Akinori Asai