Method and system for compact efficient laser architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10777964-B2
Application number	US-201916663122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2019
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

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 method of amplifying a laser beam, the method comprising:
receiving an input beam;
directing the input beam along a first direction;
amplifying the input beam a first time using a set of amplifiers, wherein amplification paths through the set of amplifiers are disposed along a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction;
reflecting the amplified beam using a first cavity mirror;
amplifying the amplified beam a second time using the set of amplifiers;
image relaying the twice amplified beam along the first direction;
reflecting the twice amplified beam using a second cavity mirror;
amplifying the twice amplified beam a third time using the set of amplifiers;
reflecting the three times amplified beam using the first cavity mirror;
amplifying the three times amplified beam using the set of amplifiers; and
outputting the four times amplified beam.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the input beam and the four times amplified beam are characterized by a linear polarization.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the amplified beam, the twice amplified beam, and the three times amplified beam are characterized by circular polarization.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising rotating a polarization state of the twice amplified beam using a Pockels cell.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cavity mirror comprises a deformable mirror.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing image relaying between the set of amplifiers.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising amplifying the three times amplified beam using the set of amplifiers and outputting the four times amplified beam.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pumping the set of amplifiers using four diode arrays in an end pumping arrangement.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising pumping, by each diode array, a respective amplifier of the set of amplifiers.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first cavity mirror or the second cavity mirror is dichroic.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input beam is a first input beam and the set of amplifiers is a first set of amplifiers, the method further comprising outputting a second amplified beam by amplifying a second input beam using a second set of amplifiers.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting the four times amplified beam in a third direction opposite the second direction.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of amplifiers are arranged in a two by two configuration.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the input beam by multiplexing a laser beam.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising passing, by the first cavity mirror, light at a pump wavelength and reflecting, by the first cavity mirror, light at a laser wavelength.

16. A method, comprising:
receiving an input beam;
amplifying the input beam a first time using a set of amplifiers;
reflecting the amplified beam using a first cavity mirror;
amplifying the amplified beam a second time using the set of amplifiers;
reflecting the twice amplified beam using a second cavity mirror;
amplifying the twice amplified beam a third time using the set of amplifiers;
reflecting the three times amplified beam using the first cavity mirror;
amplifying the three times amplified beam using the set of amplifiers; and
outputting the four times amplified beam.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising outputting the four times amplified beam in a direction opposite an amplification path of the set of amplifiers.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the input beam and the four times amplified beam are characterized by a first polarization state, and the amplified beam, the twice amplified beam, and the three times amplified beam are characterized by a second polarization state.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising rotating a polarization state of the twice amplified beam using a Pockels cell.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the input beam is a first input beam and the set of amplifiers is a first set of amplifiers, the method further comprising outputting a second amplified beam by amplifying a second input beam using a second set of amplifiers.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01S3/0404

  Air- or gas cooling, e.g. by dry nitrogen · CPC title

• H01S3/09415

  the pumping beam being parallel to the lasing mode of the pumped medium, e.g. end-pumping · CPC title

• H01S3/08072

  Thermal lensing or thermally induced birefringence; Compensation thereof · CPC title

• H01S3/1308

  Stabilisation of the polarisation · CPC title

• H01S3/2341 Primary

  Four pass amplifiers · CPC title