Patent ID: 6829258
Filing Date: 2004-12-07
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
An external cavity laser comprising:a. a laser source operable to produce a light output comprising a range of light wavelengths; b. a collimation optical element coupled to the laser source to collimate the light output, thereby forming a collimated light output; c. a blazed diffraction grating coupled to the collimation optical element and diffracting the collimated light output into a first diffraction order; d. a transform optical element coupled to the blazed diffraction grating, the transform optical element converting the first diffraction order to position in a transform plane by focusing the range of light wavelengths to the transform plane; and e. a light modulator coupled to the transform optical element and located proximately in the transform plane, the light modulator comprising an array of light modulating pixels selectively operable in a first mode and a second mode where a particular light modulating pixel in the first mode reflects light along a return path, where the particular light modulating pixel in the second mode directs light away from the return path, and where the first mode is selectively operable to adjust a return path length by at least a half wavelength such that in operation at least one of the light modulating pixels operates in the first mode returning a lasing wavelength along the return path and creating a resonant cavity for the lasing wavelength while operating a remainder of the light modulating pixels in the second mode to direct a remainder of the range of light wavelengths away from the return path.