Optoacoustic laser assembly with dual output from a single cavity laser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12369798-B2
Application number	US-202117410507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2021
Priority date	Sep 9, 2020
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A laser assembly is provided that includes a laser pump chamber that emits a first light through a laser cavity at a first wavelength, and a polarization assembly that receives the first light and converts the first light into a pulsed light that includes the first light at the first wavelength and a first polarization. The laser assembly also includes a second light at the first wavelength and a second polarization.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser assembly comprising:
a laser pump chamber that emits a first light through a laser cavity at a first wavelength; and
a polarization assembly that receives the first light and converts the first light into a pulsed light that includes the first light at the first wavelength and a first polarization, and a second light at the first wavelength and a second polarization.

2. The laser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the polarization assembly includes a polarizing beam splitter that converts the first light into the first light at the first wavelength and first polarization, and the second light at the first wavelength and the second polarization.

3. The laser assembly of claim 2 , wherein the polarization assembly includes a first Pockels cell and a first reflective component that reflects the first light and a second Pockels cell and a second reflective component that reflects the second light.

4. The laser assembly of claim 2 , wherein the polarization assembly includes a first waveplate and a second waveplate.

5. The laser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the laser cavity is the only cavity of the laser that emits the first light.

6. The laser assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an optical parametric oscillator that converts the pulsed light at the first wavelength into a first converted light at a second wavelength and a second converted light at a third wavelength.

7. The laser assembly of claim 6 , wherein the first wavelength, second wavelength, and third wavelength are different wavelengths.

8. The laser assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed light pulses in a range between 50 microseconds and 400 microseconds.

9. An optoacoustic probe for optoacoustic imaging of a volume, the optoacoustic probe having a distal end operable to contact the volume and a proximal end, the optoacoustic probe comprising:
a laser assembly configured to generate a pulsed light that includes a first light at a first wavelength and a first polarization, and a second light at the first wavelength and a second polarization along a light path to generate optoacoustic return signals when the light reacts with the volume;
a transducer assembly including a transducer configured to receive the optoacoustic return signals and an acoustic lens provided over the transducer.

10. The optoacoustic probe of claim 9 wherein the laser assembly includes a polarizing beam splitter that receives light from a laser pump chamber and converts the light into the first light at the first wavelength and the first polarization and the second light at the first wavelength and the second polarization.

11. The optoacoustic probe of claim 10 , wherein the laser assembly includes a first Pockels cell and first reflective component that reflects the first light back to the polarizing beam splitter, and a second Pockels cell and second reflective component that reflects the second light back to the polarizing beam splitter.

12. The optoacoustic probe of claim 10 , wherein the laser assembly pump chamber has only one cavity.

13. The optoacoustic probe of claim 10 , wherein the laser assembly pump chamber is made from only Nd:YAG based material.

14. The optoacoustic probe of claim 9 , wherein the light is not emitted by a laser chamber pump having an Alexandrite based material.

15. The optoacoustic probe of claim 9 wherein the laser assembly includes an optical parametric oscillator that converts the pulsed light into a first converted light at a second wavelength and a second converted light at a third wavelength.

16. The optoacoustic probe of claim 9 , wherein the pulsed light is pulsed in a range of between 50 microseconds and 400 microseconds between pulses.

17. An optoacoustic probe for optoacoustic imaging of a volume, the optoacoustic probe having a distal end operable to contact the volume and a proximal end, the optoacoustic probe comprising:
a laser assembly configured to generate a pulsed light at less than 200 microseconds between pulses along a light path to generate optoacoustic return signals when the light reacts with the volume, the laser assembly including a polarization assembly that receives a first light and converts the first light into the pulsed light, the pulsed light including the first light at a first wavelength and a first polarization, and a second light at the first wavelength and a second polarization;
a transducer assembly including a transducer configured to receive the optoacoustic return signals and an acoustic lens provided over the transducer.

18. The optoacoustic probe of claim 17 wherein the laser assembly includes a laser pump chamber that emits the first light at the first wavelength, and a polarizing beam splitter that converts the first light into a first converted light with the first polarization, and a second converted light at the second polarization that is opposite the first polarization.

19. The optoacoustic probe of claim 18 , wherein the laser pump chamber is made from only Nd:YAG based material.

20. The optoacoustic probe of claim 17 , wherein the laser assembly only has a single laser pump chamber.

Assignees

• Seno Medical Instr Inc

Inventors

• Feldman Samuel Henry

Classifications

• H01S3/1083

  using parametric generation · CPC title

• H01S3/1611

  neodymium · CPC title

• H01S3/1643

  YAG · CPC title

• H01S3/107

  using electro-optic devices, e.g. exhibiting Pockels or Kerr effect {(H01S3/1061, H01S3/1063, H01S3/1065 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01S3/10061

  Polarization control · CPC title