Patent ID: 7324568
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: G02F,H01S

Abstract:
1. A dual mode laser comprising: an outcoupler; a first highly reflective mirror; a second highly reflective mirror; an active medium disposed within a resonator cavity defined by said outcoupler and said first mirror in a first mode of operation and second mirror in a second mode of operation; a polarizer disposed in operational alignment with said outcoupler and said first and second mirrors; a polarization rotator for changing the polarization of a beam reflected by said outcoupler; a saturable absorber operationally coupled to said medium and having a transmittance property that varies in response to incident energy; and a laser diode disposed external to said medium for applying energy to said material with a pulse having a duration that is shorter than a round trip delay time of light within said resonator in said first mode of operation and with a series of pulses at a mode-locking frequency in said second mode of operation.