Patent ID: 6122300
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: A61B,H01S

Abstract:
A pulsed, optically pumped laser, comprising:a source of pump light;a resonant cavity comprising a laser material positioned for pumping by said pump light, said laser material comprising a host material doped with Erbium, and emitting light in response to pumping by said pump light, the emission being at a wavelength corresponding substantially to an emission wavelength of Erbium, said emission wavelength being between 1.7 .mu.m and 4 .mu.m; anda circuit for energizing said source of pump light to produce pulsed optical pump energy at a pulse repetition rate of more than 10 pulses per second, whereby said resonant cavity produces laser pulses at said repetition rate, the intensity of the pump pulses having rise and fall times sufficiently short to avoid significant thermal lensing induced instability of the laser pulses in the resonant cavity at the pulse repetition rate.