A miniaturized, frequency-doubled blue laser utilizing a pump source operating within a radiation band of 780 to 820 nm, such as a Ti:sapphire laser or other suitable optical pump, to pump a gain medium comprising a crystal of neodymium-doped yttrium orthoaluminate (Nd:YAlO.sub.3) and produce a fundamental radiation having a wavelength of approximately 930 nm, the fundamental radiation being subsequently frequency doubled by means of a nonlinear crystal, such as potassium niobate (KNbO.sub.3), to yield output radiation at a wavelength of 465 nm.
An optical device has a first medium that produces more photons that exit the first medium than enter the first medium, such as a gain material. A second medium that produces light of a different wavelength than the wavelength of light incident thereon, such as a second harmonic generator. The optical device defines a cavity including the first medium and the second medium. An energy source provides energy to at least one of the first medium and the second medium so that light exits the cavity, the energy source is modified in a number of different manners such that the optical device has decreased noise output.
Neodymium-doped yttrium calcium oxyborate (Nd:YCOB) is the single active gain element for a solid-state laser device capable of achieving both lasing and self-frequency doubling optical effects. A pumping source for optically pumping Nd:YCOB can generate a laser light output of approximately 400 mW at approximately 1060 nm wavelength and a self-frequency doubled output of approximately 60 mW at approximately 530 nm wavelength. Thus, a laser device can be designed that is compact, less expensive and a high-powered source of visible, green laser light.
Neodymium-doped yttrium calcium oxyborate (Nd:YCOB) is the single active gain element for a solid-state laser device capable of achieving both lasing and self-frequency doubling optical effects. A pumping source for optically pumping Nd:YCOB can generate a laser light output of approximately 400 mW at approximately 1060 nm wavelength and a self-frequency doubled output of approximately 60 mW at approximately 530 nm wavelength. Thus, a laser device can be designed that is compact, less expensive and a high-powered source of visible, green laser light.
A short wavelength laser includes a light source having a fundamental generating portion which emits fundamental wave and a wavelength convertor which converts the fundamental wave to its second harmonic. A light amplifier amplifies the second harmonic.
A compact, continuous-wave blue laser is developed from a fiber made from heavy metal fluorides ("ZBLAN") doped with a rare-earth ion. The footprint required to create blue laser light is reduced because the fiber can be wound into spools of radius <25 mm and stacked one atop the other without cross talk. IR diodes (.lambda..about.790 nm and .lambda..about.1050 nm) are fiber-pigtailed to silica fiber in a conventional way. The light from the IR diodes is coupled to a single fiber through a 2.times.1 fiber coupler that has silica inputs and a ZBLAN output. The IR light optically excites the electrons of the rare-earth ions in the ZBLAN fiber host. This excitation causes the electrons to emit light at 480 nm (in the blue region of the visible spectrum) as they relax to the ground state. Dielectric mirrors feed back the emitted light. A high-reflector, high-transmitter ("HRHT") is the input coupler of the pumping light; a partial reflector, the output coupler. A graded index ("GRIN") lens is attached, at the end of the output coupler from which the emitted laser beam exits, to improve the quality of the emitted beam.
