The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 27, 2004
Filed:
Oct. 25, 2001
Charles X. Wang, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Coherent, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A method of operating a continuously pumped, Q-switched laser to provide trains of pulses for laser operations is disclosed. The laser includes a solid-state gain-medium that exhibits a thermal-lensing effect on being optically pumped. Pulse delivery is controlled by a Q-switch that is in a normally-open state when the laser is not delivering pulses. This allows the laser to deliver CW laser radiation when pulses are not being delivered. A train of pulses is delivered by repeatedly interrupting the CW operation by closing then reopening the Q-switch. When the Q-switch reopens after the interruption, the laser delivers a pulse of laser radiation, then resumes delivery of CW operation until the next interruption. The inventive Q-switching method provides, by means of this one particular repeated Q-switch operation, that the thermal-lensing effect in the gain-medium before, during, and between delivery of pulse trains remains constant, and that all pulses in a pulse train have the same peak power.