United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Peter S Durkin

Peter Peuser

Nikolaus Peter Schmitt

Mark W Gaddis

Axel Mehnert

Charles E Moeller

Stephen G Post

The invention provides a compactly built solid state laser, which can be pumped by high power semiconductor laser diodes and uses two or more laser crystals as the laser gain or amplification media, which crystals can also contain the resonator mirrors. As desired per the invention, linear, monolithic folded or ring-shaped laser resonators can be formed to provide very efficient production of frequency doubled laser radiation.

Compact efficient solid state laser

The present invention provides a laser diode-pumped solid-state laser resonator which can be scaled and pumped longitudinally including in a folded or zig-zag resonator cavity. The resonator employs opposed laser rod crystals paired with pump light diodes in a configuration which ensures good spatial overlap and can permit the simultaneous generation of one or more laser wavelengths. The resonator also has at one end thereof a total reflector, eg. a laser rod crystal or a mirror and at the other end thereof, a partial reflector i.e. a mirror, to resonate and amplify the laser beam in the system and outcouple a portion thereof as desired.

Solid-state laser system

A switching thermal regulator for efficiently and accurately regulating the temperature of an attached device, which includes a constant current supply, a thermistor, a signal processing amplifier, and a switching power supply. The thermistor, which is attached to the device to be regulated, senses the temperature of the device, and signals this temperature to the constant current supply, and signals this temperature to the signal processing amplifier which, in turn, signals this temperature to the switching power supply. Based on this voltage signal, the switching power supply adjusts the output voltage sent to a cooler, which allows the device to maintain a constant temperature.

High efficiency thermal electric cooler driver

The invention provides a portable compact laser system that emits a frequency-doubled green laser beam, which system is thermoelectrically cooled in air and has a power output of up to 1 watt or more. The portable laser system of the invention includes a diode-pumped laser crystal, which emits light into a folded resonator cavity defined by such crystal, a turning mirror and an end mirror, with preferably an SHG crystal between the mirrors, for frequency-doubling IR light to green light and outcoupling the latter through the turning mirror. Such laser system packages into a volume of less than 1 cubic foot, uses solid state cooling technology and requires only single phase, 115 VAC prime power. The portable laser of the invention is small enough and light enough to be hand-carried aboard commercial aircraft by, eg. an eye surgeon and powerful enough to be used in eye surgery.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Peter S Durkin