Laser medium unit and laser device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10862261-B2
Application number	US-201816484302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2018
Priority date	Feb 8, 2017
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A laser medium unit includes: a plate-shaped laser gain medium which includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and generates emission light by the irradiation of excitation light from the first surface; a reflection member that is provided on the second surface so as to reflect the excitation light and the emission light; and a cooling member that cools the laser gain medium. The laser gain medium includes an irradiation area which is irradiated with the excitation light and an outer area which is located outside the irradiation area when viewed from a thickness direction intersecting the first surface and the second surface. The cooling member is thermally connected to the second surface through the reflection member so that a cooling area of the laser gain medium is formed on the second surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser medium unit comprising:
a plate-shaped laser gain medium which includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and generates emission light by irradiation of excitation light from the first surface;
a reflection member that is provided on the second surface so as to reflect the excitation light and the emission light; and
a cooling member that cools the laser gain medium,
wherein the laser gain medium includes an irradiation area which is irradiated with the excitation light and an outer area which is located outside the irradiation area when viewed from a thickness direction intersecting the first surface and the second surface,
wherein the cooling member is thermally connected to the second surface through the reflection member so that a cooling area of the laser gain medium is formed on the second surface, and
wherein an outer edge of the cooling area is located inside the irradiation area when viewed from the thickness direction.

2. The laser medium unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating member that heats the laser gain medium,
wherein the heating member is provided on a surface other than the first surface in an outer edge portion of the laser gain medium and heats the laser gain medium by inputting heat to the outer area.

3. The laser medium unit according to claim 2 ,
wherein the laser gain medium includes a third surface which is located on a side of the outer edge portion and connects the first surface and the second surface in the thickness direction, and
wherein the heating member is provided on the third surface.

4. A laser device comprising:
the laser medium unit according to claim 1 ; and
an input optical system which inputs the excitation light and laser light to be amplified from the first surface to the laser gain medium.

5. The laser device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an optical medium to which an active element is not added and through which the excitation light and the laser light are transmittable,
wherein the laser gain medium is provided on the optical medium so that the first surface is bonded to the optical medium, and
wherein the input optical system inputs the laser light and the excitation light from the first surface to the laser gain medium through the optical medium by a coaxial optical path.

Assignees

• Hamamatsu Photonics Kk

Inventors

• Ueda Kenichi
• Iyama Koichi
• Kato Yoshinori
• Sekine Takashi
• Kawashima Toshiyuki

Classifications

• H01S3/1611

  neodymium · CPC title

• H01S3/0606

  with polygonal cross-section, e.g. slab, prism (H01S3/0604 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/0612

  Non-homogeneous structure (H01S3/07 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/0405

  Conductive cooling, e.g. by heat sinks or thermo-electric elements · CPC title

• H01S3/0071

  Beam steering, e.g. whereby a mirror outside the cavity is present to change the beam direction · CPC title