United Technologies Corporation

Coherent, Inc.

Demaria Electrooptics Systems, Inc.

Other

Richard A Hart

Leon A Newman

John T Kennedy

Anthony J DeMaria

William A Veronesi

Lanny Laughman

Joel Fontanella

Frederick T Olender

Robert Henschke

Peter P Chenausky

Eric R Mueller

Ronald E Belek

Lanny M Laughman

Robert J Wayne

Archie D Heath

Justin D Tew

Kennedy, Jr John T

Charles Bartkowski

This disclosure discusses techniques for obtaining wavelength selected simultaneously super pulsed Q-switched and cavity dumped laser pulses utilizing high optical damage threshold electro-optic modulators, maintaining a zero DC voltage bias on the CdTe electro-optic modulator (EOM) so as to minimize polarization variations depending on the location of the laser beam propagating through the CdSe EOM crystal, as well as the addition of one or more laser amplifiers in a compact package and the use of simultaneous gain switched, Q-switched and cavity dumped operation of COlasers for generating shorter pulses and higher peak power for the hole drilling, engraving and perforation applications.

Q-switched, cavity dumped laser systems for material processing

A simultaneously super pulsed Q-switched CO laser system for material processing is disclosed. The system comprises sealed-off folded waveguides with folded mirrors that are thin film coated to select the output wavelength of the laser. The system also comprises a plurality of reflective devices defining a cavity; a gain medium positioned within the cavity for generating a laser beam; a cavity loss modulator for modulating the laser beam, generating thereby one or more laser pulses; a pulsed signal generation system connected to the cavity loss modulator for delivering pulsed signals to the cavity loss modulator thereby controlling the state of optical loss within the cavity; a control unit connected to the pulsed signal generation system for controlling the pulsed signal generation system; and a pulse clipping circuit receptive of a portion of the laser beam and connected to the pulsed signal generation system for truncating a part of the laser pulses.

Q-switched CO2 laser for material processing

The above discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by a laser of the present invention. In accordance with the present invention the laser comprises a housing defining a plurality of compartments therein, a folded waveguide disposed within the housing, the folded waveguide defining a plurality of channels having a substantially rectangular cross section for guiding a laser beam, a plurality of electrodes disposed in the plurality of compartments and juxtaposed along opposite surfaces of the waveguide and at least one power supply connected to the plurality of electrodes. The channels having a prescribed width to height ratio for a prescribed channel length for a given Fresnel number. At least one optical housing is provided. The optical housing is mounted to the laser housing, the optical housing including a plurality of beam turning mechanisms disposed within a plurality of compartments accessible for adjusting the beam turning mechanisms. The channels are disposed within the waveguide so as to subtend a prescribed angular orientation between adjacent channels. Inductors are provided for suppressing the capacitance of the electrodes.

High power waveguide laser

This disclosure discusses techniques for obtaining wavelength selected simultaneously super pulsed Q-switched and cavity dumped laser pulses utilizing high optical damage threshold electro-optic modulators, maintaining a zero DC voltage bias on the CdTe electro-optic modulator (EOM) so as to minimize polarization variations depending on the location of the laser beam propagating through the CdSe EOM crystal, as well as the addition of one or more laser amplifiers in a compact package and the use of simultaneous gain switched, Q-switched and cavity dumped operation of CO lasers for generating shorter pulses and higher peak power for the hole drilling, engraving and perforation applications.

Q-switched cavity dumped CO2 laser for material processing

A sound producing device for producing a whistling sound when placed in the mouth of a user and blown through. The sound producing device includes a sound producing member for placing in the mouth of the user. The sound producing member comprises a first end edge and a second end edge, and first and second side edges extending between the first and second end edges. The sound producing member comprises a first section and a second section. The first and second sections are positioned substantially parallel to each other. The first and second sections are spaced from each other with a gap therebetween. Each of the first and second sections has an aperture through the respective section at a substantially central location of the respective section. A third section of the sound producing member extends between the first and second sections.

Sound producing device

The present invention is a photo-acoustic leak detection system that detects whether gas is leaking from a component. The system includes multiple beams wherein one beam is not absorbed by the gas and is used as a baseline measurement, while another beam absorbs the gas and emits an increased signal. Upon contact with the gas, an acoustic sensor senses the reaction or lack thereof between the gas and the beams, thereby allowing a signal processor to receive the respective alternating sensor signals after which the processor calculates the difference between the first and second signals to determine whether a leak exists. The photo-acoustic leak detection system also includes a beam combining means which forces the multiple beams to enter an acousto-optic cell at the same location. The acousto-optic cell, in turn, which is controlled by a signal controlling apparatus, sequentially and alternately diffracts the multiple beams at the same predetermined angle. Use of an acousto-optic cell removes the limitations inherent with mechanical parts, which, in turn, increases the sensitivity of the photo-acoustic leak detection system.

Photo-acoustic leak detection system

A clamping device for an RF excited laser is provided which reduces stress on ceramic components and also is less expensive than existing clamping devices. The RF excited laser lacking an electrode over the waveguide channel intersection regions. Ceramic covers are provided over a portion of these channel intersection regions to reduce plasma build up. Increased power is achieved by adding a fourth channel to a conventional waveguide to form a ring resonator. The optical component mount uses radial compressive forces to hold the optical component to a post, thereby preventing the face of the optical component from being distorted. Mirror mounts are also configured to allow more mirrors to be mounted at each end of the laser. The waveguide channel of the RF excited laser having a U-shaped cross section and an aspect ratio grater than one-to-one, which improves laser performance. A beam redirection device allows the laser head to serve as a mounting surface for other optical components. Anamorphic beam expander prisms are provided to charge the laser beam diameter and recollimate the laser beam. Relief holes or slots are provided in the waveguide to relieve pressure build-up with the channels on the waveguide.

RF excited waveguide laser

The present invention is a method and apparatus for sequentially and repetitively diffracting multiple beams at a common predetermined angle. A coincident beam source introduces a plurality of coincident beams into an acousto-optic cell at a common location and angle, wherein each beam has a different wavelength. A signal controlling apparatus sequentially and repetitively introduces a series of signals to the acousto-optic cell. Each signal has a frequency, which corresponds to one of the multiple beams such that when the acousto-optic cell receives the signal, the acousto-optic cell operates at such frequency and diffracts the corresponding beam at the predetermined angle.

Method and apparatus to diffract multiple beams

The present invention is a system for controlling the power level of a beam exiting an acousto-optic cell and/or a beam delivery device. A beam detector senses the power level of the beam and produces a power signal indicative thereof. An error detector compares the power signal to a predetermined power level. If the power signal and predetermined power level differ, the error amplifier emits a correction signal to a variable amplitude source, which adjusts the amplitude of the acoustic drive frequency such that the power level of the beam exiting the acousto-optic cell and/or the beam delivery device is substantially equal to the predetermined power level.

System to control the power of a beam

The apparatus of the present invention significantly improves the optical intensity induced damage limit of optical quality crystals, and in particular crystals used in the conversion of laser radiation at a specific wavelength to another wavelength or other wavelengths through non-linear interaction of the input laser radiation with the optical crystal medium. In accordance with the present invention, passive optical elements are positioned at the laser beam exiting and entrance surfaces of the active optical element. The surfaces of the passive optical elements are placed up against respective exiting and entrance surfaces of the active optical element. Since the optically transparent passive optical elements have higher mass than optical coatings, they provide vastly superior cooling, and therefore, considerably higher laser damage threshold for the surfaces. Higher damage thresholds results in a significant increase in the performance, reliability, and failure damage safety margin while reducing size and cost of high intensity laser systems and subsystems that utilize active optical elements.

Apparatus for improving the optical intensity induced damage limit of

A phase-locked ridge waveguide gas laser includes a body that circumferentially bounds an elongated internal space extending along a longitudinal main plane and bisected by a longitudinal central plane. The internal space contains a gaseous lasing medium that is excited at radio frequency with attendant light emission from the gaseous medium. Mirrors are so positioned relative to the body as to provide lasing of the light emission. Respective ridges partition the internal space into a plurality of laser resonator cavities each sustaining a guided mode of the lasing light emission. Each of the cavities extends longitudinally of the body and is spaced from an adjacent cavity by a predetermined distance in a width direction of the internal space. At least the height dimension, as considered along the central plane, of at least a first of the cavities that is more remote from the central plane is smaller than that of a closer second of the cavities to an extent dependent on a variation in a propagation constant of the guided lasing light mode in the gaseous lasing medium contained in such cavities as the laser is in operation.

Tailored cross section optical waveguide laser array

A phase-locked ridge waveguide gas laser includes a body having two major and two minor limiting surfaces together circumferentially bounding an internal space within the body, which contains a gaseous lasing medium. The gaseous medium is excited at radio frequency with attendant light emission from the gaseous medium. Mirrors are so positioned relative to the body as to provide lasing of the light emission. Respective ridges partition the internal space into at least three laser resonator cavities each sustaining a guided mode of the lasing light emission. The ridges extend in an alternative fashion from one and the other of the major surfaces of the body into the internal space and terminate short of the respectively other of the major surfaces to provide respective gaps. Each of these gaps connects two adjacent ones of the laser resonator cavities for phase-locking the guided modes in such cavities. However, the alternation of such gaps between the other and the one of the major surfaces provides discrimination against higher-order transverse modes.

Phase locked alternating dielectric ridge gas laser

A phase-locked ridge waveguide gas laser includes a body that circumferentially bounds an internal space extending along a central plane and containing a gaseous lasing medium. The gaseous medium is excited at radio frequency with attendant light emission from the gaseous medium. Mirrors are so positioned relative to the body as to provide lasing of the light emission. Respective ridges partition the internal space into a plurality of cylindrical laser resonator cavities each sustaining a guided mode of the lasing light emission. Each of the cavities extends longitudinally of the body and is spaced from an adjacent cavity by a predetermined distance in a width direction of the internal space. The ridges are substantially cusp-shaped and extend into the internal space along a height dimension in respective aligned pairs. At least one of the ridges of each pair terminates short of the central plane to provide with the respective other ridge of the pair a gap which connects two adjacent ones of the laser resonator cavities for phase-locking the guided modes in such cavities. The adjacent resonator cavities overlap each other at the region of the respective gaps.

Phase locked cusp-shaped dielectric ridge gas laser

A phase-locked staggered ridge array waveguide gas laser includes a body that circumferentially bounds an internal space extending along a central plane and containing a gaseous lasing medium. The gaseous medium is excited at radio frequency with attendant light emission from the gaseous medium. Mirrors are so positioned relative to the body as to provide lasing of the light emission. Two arrays of ridges extending into the internal space along a height dimension partition the internal space into two pluralities of laser resonator cavities each sustaining a guided mode of the lasing light emission. Each of the cavities extends longitudinally of the body and is spaced from an adjacent cavity in a width direction of the internal space. The ridges of each array are offset relative to those of the other array by substantially a half of the spacing between the ridges of each array and are so configured that a cavity of one of the pluralities alignedly opens into a portion of each of two adjacent ones of the cavities of the other plurality. Auxiliary ridge portions that are truncated to delimit respective gaps at the central plane may be provided midway between and coextensively with the ridges of each array.

Phase locked staggered dielectric ridge array waveguide gas laser

A compact distributed inductance RF-excited waveguide gas laser arrangement includes a housing which bounds an internal space, and a waveguide laser stack located in the internal space. The stack includes, in succession, a first electrode which may be constituted by a portion of the housing, a waveguide body bounding at least one laser cavity, a second electrode, a spacer body, and a plurality of flat inductor coils that extend along a major surface of the spacer body that faces away from the second electrode and are distributed along the length of the laser cavity. Each of the inductor coils has a first end electrically connected with the first electrode and a second end electrically connected with the second electrode so that, when alternating electric current at radio frequency is applied to one of the electrodes, the inductance of each of the inductor coils is arranged electrically in parallel with the capacitance formed between the first and second electrodes and transversely of the laser cavity.

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North Granby, CT, United States of America

Richard A Hart