Method and system for compact efficient laser architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10476226-B2
Application number	US-201514820375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A laser amplifier module having an enclosure includes an input window, a mirror optically coupled to the input window and disposed in a first plane, and a first amplifier head disposed along an optical amplification path adjacent a first end of the enclosure. The laser amplifier module also includes a second amplifier head disposed along the optical amplification path adjacent a second end of the enclosure and a cavity mirror disposed along the optical amplification path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A quad-beam laser amplifier module including an enclosure, the quad-beam laser amplifier module comprising:
a set of four input ports disposed on a top surface of the enclosure;
a set of four output ports disposed on the second end of the enclosure;
a first amplifier head disposed at a first end of the enclosure, wherein the first amplifier head includes four amplifiers;
a second amplifier head disposed at a second end of the enclosure, wherein the second amplifier head includes four amplifiers; and
a cavity mirror operable to reflect light into the second amplifier head.

2. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising a set of four relay telescopes disposed between the first amplifier head and the second amplifier head.

3. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 wherein beams passing through a set of outside amplifiers of the four amplifiers of the first amplifier head pass through a set of inside amplifiers of the four amplifiers of the second amplifier head.

4. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of Pockels cells operable to receive amplified beams after two amplification passes through the first amplifier head and the second amplifier head.

5. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising a second set of four relay telescopes disposed the second amplifier head and the cavity mirror.

6. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising a set of four transport telescopes optically coupled to the set of four output ports.

7. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 wherein the cavity mirror comprises a deformable mirror.

8. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising a Pockels cell and a second cavity mirror operable to reflect amplified beams into the first amplifier head.

9. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 8 wherein the first amplifier head and the second amplifier head are transverse pumped by diode arrays.

10. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 8 wherein the first amplifier head and the second amplifier head are end pumped by diode arrays.

11. The quad-beam laser amplifier module of claim 10 wherein the diode arrays are optically coupled to the amplifier heads through dichroic mirrors.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Bayramian Andrew James
• Manes Kenneth
• Deri Robert J
• Erlandson Al
• Caird John
• Spaeth Mary

Classifications

• H01S3/0941

  of a laser diode · CPC title

• H01S3/2316

  Cascaded amplifiers · CPC title

• H01S3/10007

  in optical amplifiers · CPC title

• H01S3/005

  Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping (shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B) · CPC title

• H01S3/10061

  Polarization control · CPC title