Cladding glass for solid state laser device

Abstract

The invention relates to a glass having a refractive index of at least 1.7, and use of the glass as cladding glass for solid-state laser devices. The invention also relates to a laser device component, which comprises a doped sapphire core and a cladding glass placed on the core, wherein the cladding glass is arranged on the core, so that light exiting from the core due to parasitic laser activitymay enter the cladding glass and may be absorbed there so as to obtain the laser device component having improved efficiency. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a laser device component.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a glass having a refractive index of at least 1.7 and to the use of the glass as cladding glass for solid-state lasers. The invention also relates to a laser component comprising a doped sapphire core and a cladding glass placed on said core. Background technique [0002] Optically excited lasers are often referred to as solid-state lasers, where the amplifying medium comprises a crystalline or glassy solid, also known as a host crystal or host material. The host crystal is doped with ions of foreign substances. By introducing energy into the lasing medium, electrons are excited to higher energy levels, resulting in excited atoms. This process is also called pumping. Typically, solid-state lasers are optically pumped. When an atom already so excited is excited by a photon with the energy to be emitted, the excited atom falls back to its normal state again, emitting a photon of the same energy and phase position as the excit...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, this liquid has several decisive disadvantages

First, the fact that it is a liquid rather than a solid makes the laser system more complex and prone to failure

Second, the area in contact with the liquid through which the laser medium travels is limited, since the laser medium must be held and fixed outside the laser area

Third, this liquid is harmful to health

Fourth, this fluid breaks down over time and must be replaced periodically

Fifth, for the solution to this problem, the refractive index must be adjusted within a certain wavelength range, and although by adding additives, the reflectivity at the central wavelength can be changed to a minimum, but the dispersion (refractive index versus wavelength dependence) is more or less constant and differs from the dispersion of sapphire

In this system, the wavelength of the parasitic laser light to be suppressed is 1052 nm and the refractive index of the active medium is about 1.46, i.e. the invention described in US 4,217,382 A is completely unsuitable as a cladding layer for doped sapphire

Images