Patent ID: 7821704

Claim:
An IR laser source providing light in the IR spectrum, the laser source comprising: (i) a pump laser operating at a frequency equivalent to wavelength shorter than 2 μm and at a predetermined power, and having a wavelength tuning range; (ii) an optic fiber coupled to the pump laser, the optic fiber including at least a first section of a hollow core photonic crystal fiber, the at least a first section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber being designed to have at least a passband in the IR spectrum and being filled with a molecular gas for triggering at least one Stoke's shift in light entering the at least a first section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber for the particular power of the pump laser, the at least one Stoke's shift causing the light entering the at least a first section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber to shift in frequency into the passband in the IR spectrum of the at least a first section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber, and at least a second section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber coupled to receive light from the at least a first section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber, the at least a second section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber having a passband in the IR spectrum at a longer wavelength than the passband in the IR spectrum of the at least a first section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber, the at least a second section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber being filled with a molecular gas for triggering at least one Stoke's shift in light entering the at least a second section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber, the at least one Stoke's shift causing the light entering the at least a second section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber to shift in frequency into the passband in the longer wavelength IR spectrum of the at least a second section of hollow core photonic crystal fiber.