Patent ID: 6026102
Filing Date: 2000-02-15
Classification: G02F,H01S

Abstract:
A laser, comprising:a portion of laser material along a laser light propagation axis having a first opposing surface and a second opposing surface, the first surface being provided with a first coating reflective at a fundamental wavelength of light produced by the laser material; a pump laser being electrically connected to a supply of electric current through a controller, the pump laser being oriented such that pump light produced by the pump laser shines on the first surface and pumps the laser material to produce the fundamental wavelength of laser light; an optically nonlinear crystal having a third opposing surface and a fourth opposing surface, a part of the third surface optically contacting the second surface of the portion of laser material, the fourth surface being provided with a second coating reflective at the fundamental wavelength and being located distal to the pump laser, so as to form a laser cavity between the first coating and the second coating, the laser cavity operating along the laser light propagation axis, and the nonlinear crystal being crystallographically oriented relative to the axis and to a polarization vector direction of maximum gain so as to phase-match a nonlinear interaction with light at the fundamental wavelength essentially parallel to the propagation axis; and an etalon formed on the propagation axis between the laser material and the nonlinear crystal, the etalon being formed by a portion of the second surface and a portion of the third surface.