Patent ID: 8116341
Filing Date: 2012-02-14
Classification: B23K,H01S,H05K

Abstract:
1. A system configured to generate from a single laser source two pulsed output beams of different wavelengths, comprising: a laser resonator characterized by a Q value, the resonator including a mirror and first and second wavelength selective mirror surfaces of respective first and second output couplers, the mirror and the first wavelength selective mirror surface and the mirror and the second wavelength selective mirror surface establishing respective first and second laser cavities within the laser resonator; a pumping source optically associated with a lasing medium residing in the laser resonator, the pumping source providing pumping light to stimulate a lasing gain of the lasing medium at a fundamental wavelength; a Q-switch positioned within the laser resonator and operating to change the Q value of the laser resonator in response to a Q-switch drive signal selectively producing high and low Q states of the laser resonator, the high and low Q states producing a beam of multiple time-displaced light emission pulses characterized by a light polarization state; a variable optical retarder positioned within the laser resonator and responding to an optical retarder drive signal to impart selected amounts of optical retardation to the beam of light emission pulses, the selected amounts of optical retardation imparted by the variable optical retarder selectively changing the light polarization state of the beam of light emission pulses to produce polarization state-modulated light emission pulses; and a polarization sensitive beam splitter positioned within the laser resonator and cooperating with first and second wavelength converters to receive the polarization state-modulated light emission pulses and direct them through, respectively, the first wavelength selective mirror surface of the first laser cavity as a first output beam at a first wavelength and the second wavelength selective mirror surface of the second laser cavity as a second output beam at a second wavelength in accordance with the selected amounts of retardation imparted by the variable optical retarder to the light emission pulses, the first and second wavelengths being harmonically related to the fundamental wavelength as converted by the first and second wavelength converters.