A laser amplification system includes a pumping diode laser, a gain laser crystal, a moveable wedged shaped etalon for wavelength selection, a non-linear crystal for wavelength conversion, such that each optical component has independent temperature control means. A single mode operation is achieved of up to 100 Watts output power with a minimum noise by stabilizing the optimum temperature of the optical media and the optical pathlength of the etalon. All components are disposed on a single metal substrate having a high thermal conductivity and a low thermal expansion coefficient. The system operates to amplify a laser from another source with high efficiency and low noise when the etalon and nonlinear crystal are absent.
A diode-pumped solid state laser, e.g., in a side-pumped or end-pumped configuration, including a lasing medium (30, 40, 62) comprising at least one surface (41) through which the laser is pumped, and at least one diamond plate (32, 42, 64) in thermal contact with the at least one surface (41). In an embodiment a plurality of segments of said lasing medium (62) are disposed in proximity to each other, and said at least one diamond plate (64) is disposed between two adjacent segments, and in thermal contact with said elements.
A hermetically sealed pump module for use with fiber devices is disclosed. The method and apparatus disclosed enable a pump module to be constructed that has a high coupling tolerance and which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture. The pump module may comprise a transparent window through which a pump beam is coupled from a laser diode into the inner cladding of a double cladding fiber. The transparent window also may serve as a substrate for the inner cladding of the double cladding fiber. The laser diode is sealed within the pump module housing with a lid and the window, which is bonded to the lid. The housing may contain a heat sink, heat-spreading sub-mount and a Peltier cooler.
A base station for a wireless communications system having a tower-mounted amplifier system with a low-noise amplifier transistor and a thermoelectric cooler that reduces the operating temperature of the low-noise amplifier transistor. The amplifier system has additional heat-generating components, such as filters, and additional electrical components mounted on a substrate to which the low-noise amplifier transistor is mounted. These heat-generating components are thermally isolated from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler. As a result, the cooling capacity and electrical power requirement for the thermoelectric cooler is significantly reduced because only the low-noise amplifier transistor is cooled.
The mode and wavelength of a conventional, multi-mode, wide-stripe laser diode is converted in an Nd.sup.3+ ion-doped laser host crystal to a stable, single-mode output that falls within the spectral region required for pumping EDFA amplifying structures. The host crystal absorbs radiation from the diode that corresponds with the .sup.4 I.sub.9/2.fwdarw..sup.4 F.sub.5/2 absorption band of its Nd.sup.3+ ions, and re-radiates into the .sup.4 F.sub.3/2.fwdarw..sup.4 I.sub.9/2, .sup.4 F.sub.3/2.fwdarw..sup.4 I.sub.11/2, and .sup.4 F.sub.3/2.fwdarw..sup.4 I.sub.13/2 transitions which release photon energy that can be utilized by amplifying structures doped with Er.sup.3+ and/or Yb.sup.3+. The spatial mode of the multimode laser diode is converted to single-mode by enclosing the Nd.sup.3+ -doped host laser crystal within a laser cavity that has a fundamental mode size large enough to encircle the spatial extent of the beam emanating from the laser diode.
