Laser reflecting cavity with ASE suppression and heat removal

Abstract: A thermally conducting reflecting envelope (11) for use in laser cavities, and laser apparatus (10) employing such envelopes (11). A transparent heat conducting member (17), such as sapphire, surrounds a laser medium (12) and has a transmissive coating (13) thereon that transmits pump light provided by a pump light source (20) onto the laser medium (12). The coating (13) reflects the diode pump light and transmits laser light to suppress ASE that causes clamping of the laser output at a relatively low level. An absorbing elastic material (15) is disposed on the dielectric coating (13) and is adapted to absorb the laser light. Heat sinks (16) are disposed in contact with the absorbing elastic material (15), and conducts heat away from the laser medium (12). A light entrance window (13a) or area is antireflection coated to transmit the pump light onto the laser medium (12). A liquid cooled version further includes a liquid cooling channel (18) disposed between the laser medium (12) and the thermally conducting member (17). The present invention provides more efficient cooling and a more effective ASE suppression than conventional Samarium glass filters in solid state lasers pumped by flashlamps or laser diodes. The present invention provides for efficient heat conduction and removal from a laser medium, efficient transmission and absorption of laser light to suppress ASE, and efficient transmission of pump light to the laser medium.

Description: BACKGROUND The present invention relates generally to lasers, and more particularly, to a laser reflecting cavity that provides for the suppression of amplified stimulated emission (ASE) and improved heat removal. The prior art related to the present invention is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,969,155 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and which discloses an integrating laser diode pumped cavity. The suppression of amplified stimulated emission (ASE) is especially important for Nd:YAG based laser designator systems to optimize energy output in a compact size. Although the laser disclosed in the above-cited patent works well, one disadvantage of the approach taken in this patent is seen in the use of Samarium glass to suppresses ASE and to increase energy storage in the laser. Samarium glass has a very low thermal conductivity and has limited absorption at 1.06 µm light wavelength, thus limiting laser performance. The use of Samarium glass reduces the contact area between a sapphire envelope and a metal heat sink, thus reducing heat transfer and limiting the pulse repetition rate of the laser. With a less efficient heat removal scheme, the temperature of the laser rod is significantly increased which reduces overall laser efficiency. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for a laser reflecting cavity that provides for the suppression of amplified stimulated emission (ASE) and improved heat removal. The present invention provides a laser apparatus comprising: a laser medium adapted to provide laser light; a pump light source for providing pump light to the laser medium; a thermally conducting optically transparent member disposed adjacent to the laser medium and having an entrance window disposed adjacent to the pump light source; said entrance window comprising an optically transmitting antireflecting coating disposed on the member that transmits pump light provided by the pump light source to the laser medium through the entrance window of the member; a dielectric coating disposed on parts of the member not covered by said antireflecting coating or directly on parts of the laser medium not adjacent to said member, whereby said dielectric coating reflects the pump light and transmits laser light to suppress amplified stimulated emission; an absorbing elastic material disposed on at least parts of the outer surface of the dielectric coating, said absorbing elastic material being adapted to absorb laser light; and a heat sink disposed in contact with the absorbing elastic material to conduct heat away from the laser medium. The transparent heat conducting member, such as sapphire, is disposed adjacent to the laser medium (rod, slab or other medium geometry). The transparent heat conducting member has a window with an optically transmitting coating disposed thereon that transmits diode light pumping energy (pump light) provided by a diode pump light source into the laser medium. The dielectric coating reflects the diode pump light (800 nm for a typical diode array) and transmits laser light (1.06µm for a Nd:YAG Laser Medium) to suppress amplified stimulated emission that normally causes clamping of the laser output at a lower level than is desired. The dielectric coating provides the same but improved function as a Samarium glass tube or slabs employed in the abovecited U.S. patent , when combined with a specular or diffuse reflector. The absorbing elastic material is disposed on the outer surface of the dielectric coating and is preferably adapted to absorb 1.06 µm wavelength energy, for example, when used with a Nd:YAG laser medium, for example. Heat sinks are disposed in contact with the absorbing elastic material that conduct heat away from the laser medium to a housing. The light entrance window or area is antireflection coated to transmit the pump light into the interior of the heat conducting member and onto the laser medium. A variety of laser apparatus may employ the concepts of the present invention including those laser apparatus using rod and slab laser media. In addition, a liquid cooled version of laser apparatus further includes a liquid cooling channel disposed between the laser medium and the conducting member. A preferred laser apparatus comprises a slab laser medium sandwiched between two layers of transparent elastic material that contact two sapphire conducting members that form an envelope surrounding the laser medium. An air gap is disposed around the lateral edges of the laser medium to allow for expansion. One conducting member is antireflection coated for optimal transmission of the pump light while a second conducting member is dielectric coated to provide reflectance for 800 nm pump light and transmission for 1.06 µm laser light. The laser diode array is disposed adjacent the antireflection coated conducting member and an elastic absorber is disposed on a surface of the second conducting member opposite the diode pump array. Heat sinks are coupled to the conducting members and the elastic absorber to conduct heat away from the laser medium. The present invention significantly simplifies the integrating laser diode pumped cavity disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,969,155, improves the heat removal properties in its conductively cooled embodiment, and provides greater suppression of ASE which is particularly important for laser designator application where Nd:YAG (1.06 µm) based laser rods are used. The present invention provides a competitive baseline design for several diode pumped lasers currently under development by the assignee of the present invention. For example, one presently designed and demonstrated diode pumped laser used on the Solid State Laser Radar System (SSLRS) program for the U.S. Air Force is readily modified by employing the present novel sapphire reflecting envelope in the laser design, thus creating a laser that can be used either with Nd:YLF, as has been used previously, and with Nd:YAG as is generally desired for laser designator applications. The present invention provides more efficient cooling and a more effective ASE suppression than the conventional use of Samarium glass filters in solid state lasers such as Nd:YAG, and the like, pumped by flashlamps or laser diodes. The present invention thus provides an improved component that is used in a laser and which provides for efficient heat conduction/ removal from laser rod or slab, reflection of pump light, diode laser pump or flashlamp, transmission and absorption of laser light to suppress ASE, and a means to efficiently transmit pump light at the entrance to the laser rod derived from diode pump arrays. The various features and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: Fig. 1 shows a laser head employing a laser reflecting envelope that provides for the suppression of amplified stimulated emission (ASE) and improved heat removal in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and Fig. 2 shows the laser reflecting envelope of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows the laser reflecting envelope of Fig. 2 adapted for use in a liquid cooled laser head; Fig. 4 shows a slab laser geometry employing a modified laser reflecting envelope of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 shows a variation of the slab laser geometry of Fig. 4. Referring to the drawing figures, Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a thermally conducting reflecting envelope 11 for use in laser cavities, and laser apparatus 10 employing such envelopes. More specifically, Fig. 1 shows a laser apparatus 10 employing the laser reflecting envelope 11 that provides for the suppression of amplified stimulated emission (ASE) and improved heat removal in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the details of the laser reflecting envelope 11 of Fig. 1. The basic thermally conducting reflecting envelope 11 of the present invention comprises a transparent heat conducting member 17, such as sapphire, for example, disposed around a laser medium 12 (rod, slab, or other medium geometry). A relatively small air gap 4, or layer of elastic material 4 that is transparent to pump light, may be provided between the laser medium 12 and the transparent heat conducting member 17. The air gap 4 or elastic material 4 is provided for heat transfer purposes and does not induce any stress on the laser medium 12. The transparent heat conducting member 17 has dielectric coating 14 disposed around part of its periphery. A plurality of entrance windows are disposed on relatively flat portions of the transparent heat conducting member 17. The entrance windows are provided with optically transmitting antireflection coatings 13 to transmit diode light pumping energy (or pump light) provided by diode pump light sources 20 or diode arrays 20 into the laser medium 12. The diode arrays 20 are comprised of a housing 21 that secure a plurality of light emitting laser diodes 22. The coating 14 reflects diode pump light (800 nm for typical diode arrays 20) and transmits laser light (1.06 µm for a Nd:YAG laser medium 11) for example. The coating 14 acts to suppress amplified stimulated emission (ASE) that normally causes clamping of the output of the laser apparatus 10 at a lower level than is desired. The coating 14 provides the same but improved function as a Samarium glass tube or slabs employed in in the above-cited U.S. patent, when such elements are combined with a specular or diffuse reflector. An absorbing elastic material 15 is disposed on the outer surface of the envelope 11 and is adapted to absorb 1.06 µm wavelength energy, for example, when used with a Nd:YAG laser medium 12, for example. Heat sinks 16 (typically aluminum or other thermally conductive material) are disposed in contact with the absorbing elastic material 15 and hence the transparent heat conducting member 17, and conduct heat away from the laser medium 12 to a housing (not shown). A variety of laser apparatus 10 may employ the thermally conducting reflecting envelope 11 of the present invention including those laser apparatus 10 using rod and slab laser media 11. Referring to Fig. 3, a liquid cooled version of laser apparatus 10 (shown in Fig. 3 as laser apparatus 10a) adapts the envelope 11 of the present invention to a liquid cooled laser. More particularly, Fig. 3 shows the thermally conducting reflecting envelope 11 of Fig. 2 adapted for use in a liquid cooled laser head. The thermally conducting reflecting envelope 11 used in the laser apparatus 10a further includes a liquid cooling channel 18 disposed between the laser medium 12 and the transparent heat conducting member 17. The balance of the components described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 are the same in this laser apparatus 10a. As is illustrated in Fig. 3, the concepts of the present invention may be applied to liquid cooled lasers wherein a conventional Samarium glass tube such as is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,969,155 is replaced with the sapphire envelope 11 described herein. The advantages of using the liquid interface sapphire coated envelope 11a compared to using a Samarium glass tube are that the liquid interface sapphire coated envelope 11a provides for lower flow rates, and in the extreme, stagnant liquid, as is shown in Fig. 3. More specifically, a stagnant liquid or no flow liquid laser design is used in one flashlamp pumped laser developed by the assignee of the present invention that operates at pulse repetition rates up to 4 Hz using a Samarium glass flow tube. With the use of the present sapphire envelope, a thinner liquid interface, and diode pumping, the pulse rate of this laser exceeds 20 Hz. Referring to Fig. 4, a slab laser apparatus 30 employing a modified version of the envelope 11 of the present invention (identified in Fig. 4 as envelope 11b) comprises a laser medium 12 sandwiched between two layers of transparent elastic material 25 that contact two transparent heat conducting members 17a, 17b, which are sapphire heat conducting layers. An air gap 26 is disposed around the lateral edges of the laser medium 12 to allow for thermal expansion. The first sapphire layer 17a is antireflection coated (coating comprising entrance window 13 ) for optimal transmission of the diode light pumping energy while the second sapphire layer 17b is dielectric coated (dielectric coating 14) to provide high reflectance for 800 nm diode light pumping energy and high transmission for 1.06 µm laser light A laser diode array 20 is disposed adjacent an entrance window 13 and an elastic absorber 15 for 1.06 µm energy is disposed on the surface of the second sapphire layer 17b opposite the diode pump array 20. Heat sinks 16, 16a, 16b are coupled to the envelope 11b, and the elastic absorber 15 to conduct heat away from the laser medium 12 to a housing (not shown). The second transparent heat conducting sapphire layer 17b has the dielectric coating 14 disposed thereon adjacent the elastic absorber 15a. Fig. 5 shows a variation of the slab laser apparatus 30 of Fig. 4 identified as slab laser apparatus 30a. The slab laser apparatus 30a modifies the slab laser apparatus 30 by disposing the dielectric coating 14 around the peripheral edges of the slab laser medium 12 except on the side adjacent the entrance window and eliminating one transparent heat conducting member 17b, its dielectric coating 14, and the elastic absorber 15. The heat sink 166 is moved adjacent heat sinks 16 disposed on the lateral sides of the slab laser medium 12 . The balance of this design is substantially the same as the apparatus 30 of Fig. 4. The present invention is primarily adapted for use with solid state lasers and specifically provides an improved cavity for use in diode pumped solid state lasers. The present apparatus 10 provides for a novel laser head design using the highly thermally conducting transparent sapphire envelope 11 having special purpose dielectric coatings 14 disposed thereon to substantially extend energy and pulse repetition performance of the laser head. The conductive transparent envelope 11 with the dielectric coatings 14 that provide for the transmission of diode pump light at the diode pump light entrance window, and high reflectivity of the diode pump light inside the envelope 11, while providing relatively good (50-95%) transmission for the remaining area of the envelope 11 at the laser wavelength (1.06 µm). The present invention significantly simplifies the integrating laser diode pumped cavity disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,969,155, improves the heat removal properties in its conductively cooled embodiment, and provides greater suppression of ASE, which is particularly important for laser designator application where Nd:YAG (1.06 µm) based laser rods are used. The present invention provides a competitive baseline design for several diode pumped lasers currently under development by the assignee of the present invention. For example, one presently designed and demonstrated diode pumped laser used on the Solid State Laser Radar System (SSLRS) program for the U.S. Air Force is readily modified by employing the present novel sapphire reflecting envelope 11 in the laser design, thus creating a laser that can be used either with Nd:YLF, as has been used previously, and with Nd:YAG as is generally desired for laser designator applications. The present invention provides more efficient cooling and a more effective ASE suppression than the conventional use of Samarium glass filters in solid state lasers such as Nd:YAG, and the like, pumped by flashlamps or laser diodes. The present invention thus provides an improved component that may be used in a laser, and laser apparatus employing such a component, and which provides for efficient heat conduction removal from the laser medium 12, reflection of pump light provided by a diode laser pump or flashlamp, transmission and absorption of laser light to suppress ASE, and a means to efficiently transmit pump light at the entrance window to the laser medium 12 provided by the diode pump arrays 20. Thus there has been described a new and improved laser reflecting cavity that provides for the suppression of amplified stimulated emission and improved heat removal. It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of some of the many specific embodiments which can be readily devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the inventions as defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims: Laser apparatus (10) comprising: a laser medium (12) adapted to provide laser light; a pump light source (22) for providing pump light to the laser medium (12); a thermally conducting optically transparent member (17) disposed adjacent to the laser medium (12) and having an entrance window disposed adjacent to the pump light source (22), said entrance window comprising an optically transmitting antireflecting coating (13) disposed on the member (17) that transmits pump light provided by the pump light source (22) to the laser medium (12) through the entrance window of the member (17); a dielectric coating (14) disposed on parts of the member (17) not covered by said antireflecting coating or directly on parts of the laser medium (12) not adjacent to said member (17), whereby said dielectric coating reflects the pump light and transmits laser light to suppress amplified stimulated emission; an absorbing elastic material (15) disposed on at least parts of the outer surface of the dielectric coating (14), said absorbing elastic material (15) being adapted to absorb laser light; and a heat sink (16) disposed in contact with the absorbing elastic material (15) to conduct heat away from the laser medium (12). The laser apparatus of Claim 1 wherein the thermally conducting optically transparent member (17) is comprised of sapphire. The laser apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 wherein the laser medium (12) comprises a laser rod. The laser Claim 1 or 2 wherein the laser medium (12) comprises a laser slab. The laser apparatus of any preceding Claim wherein the laser medium comprises a Nd:YAG laser medium and wherein the dielectric coating (14) is adapted to reflect 800 nm pump light and transmit 1.06 µm laser light. The laser apparatus of any preceding Claim further comprising a liquid cooling channel (18) disposed between the laser medium (12) and the thermally conducting optically transparent member (17). The laser apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5 further comprising an air gap disposed between the laser medium (12) and the thermally conducting transparent member (17). The laser apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5 further comprising an elastic member (4) disposed between the laser medium (12) and the thermally conducting transparent member (17).

Inventors: GREGOR EDUARD, GREGOR, EDUARD
Applicants: HUGHES AIRCRAFT CO, HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Application year: 1993
Main classification: H01S3
IPC codes: H01S3