Patent ID: 7499207

Claim:
A harmonic generation/beam shaping system for use with a laser to generate a shaped beam having a wavelength having a harmonic relationship with a beam generated by the laser, comprising: a first harmonic generation element and a second harmonic generation element arranged sequentially along an axial beam path extending between an input from the laser and an output of the harmonic generation/beam shaping system, and at least two beam shaping elements located along the axial beam path, including at least one of a beam shaping element located between the first harmonic generator and the laser input for transforming an energy profile of the laser beam from a first energy profile into a second energy profile having a preferred distribution of energy across the beam, and an up-collimator element located at one of between the beam shaping element and the first harmonic generator and between the first and second harmonic generation elements and between the second harmonic generation element and the output of the harmonic generation/beam shaping system for distributing energy of the beam across a greater cross sectional area of a harmonic generation element.