Resonant cavity of carbon dioxide laser for emitting multiple laser beams

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of laser equipment, in particular to a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple beams of laser, which comprises a laser shell, mirror seats for fixing lenses are fixedly connected to two ends of the laser shell, and a plurality of radiating fins for radiating are fixedly connected to the laser shell. The lower end face of the laser shell is fixedly connected with a cooling fan used for cooling, the upper end face of the laser shell is fixedly connected with an excitation source used for providing energy for laser working substances, a ceramic plate is fixedly connected into the laser shell, the upper end of the ceramic plate is fixedly connected with a discharging plate, and a discharging channel is formed in the ceramic plate. A laser resonant cavity is further arranged in the laser shell and comprises a lens with certain reflectivity and a total reflection mirror, the lens and the reflection mirror are both fixed in a mirror base, and laser working substances are arranged in the discharge channel. According to the equipment provided by the invention, under the condition that a peripheral light splitting device is not used, a single laser generator can simultaneously realize simultaneous stable output of two or more paths of laser.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of laser equipment, in particular to a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams. Background Art

[0002] In the field of laser applications, multiple laser beams are often required at the same time, such as laser multi-working point processing, laser power monitoring, etc. Realizing simultaneous processing of multiple working points can significantly improve processing efficiency, especially in situations where multiple workpieces need to be processed simultaneously. Currently, laser beam splitting technology is mainly used to split a single laser beam into multiple beams to achieve the purpose of multi-point processing.

[0003] Laser spectrometry will cause the power of the laser beam to attenuate, and the power of each channel is lower than the power of the original laser beam. Secondly, laser spectrometry requires the use of high-precision optical devices and complex control systems, resulting in high equipment costs.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams, which solves the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of this section is to summarize some aspects of embodiments of the present invention and briefly introduce some preferred embodiments. Some simplifications or omissions may be made in this section and the specification abstract and the invention title of this application to avoid blurring the purpose of this section, the specification abstract and the invention title, and such simplifications or omissions cannot be used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0006] The present invention provides a multi-beam laser output structure, which enables a single laser generator to simultaneously and stably output two or more lasers without using a peripheral light splitting device.

[0007] A carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams comprises a laser housing, two ends of the laser housing are fixedly connected with lens seats for fixing lenses, a plurality of heat sinks for heat dissipation are fixedly connected to the laser housing, a heat dissipation fan for heat dissipation is fixedly connected to the lower end surface of the laser housing, an excitation source for providing energy for laser working material is fixedly connected to the upper end surface of the laser housing, a ceramic plate is fixedly connected inside the laser housing, a discharge plate is fixedly connected to the upper end of the ceramic plate, a discharge channel is arranged in the ceramic plate, a laser resonant cavity is also arranged in the laser housing, the laser resonant cavity comprises a lens and a reflector, the lens and the reflector are both fixed in the lens seat, and laser working material is arranged in the discharge channel.

[0008] As a preferred solution of the carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams provided by the present invention, the discharge channel is a single straight channel, a group of lenses are respectively provided at both ends of the discharge channel, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

[0009] As a preferred solution of the carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams provided by the present invention, the discharge channel is a V-shaped channel, a group of reflectors is provided at the V-shaped tip of the discharge channel, a group of lenses is provided at each V-shaped foot of the discharge channel, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively. As a preferred solution of the carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams provided by the present invention, the discharge channel is a U-shaped channel, two U-shaped corners of the discharge channel are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the U-shaped base of the discharge channel is respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

[0010] As a preferred solution of the carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams provided by the present invention, the discharge channel is an N-shaped channel, and the two tip parts of the N-shape of the discharge channel are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the starting end and the ending end of the N-shape of the discharge channel are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

[0011] As a preferred solution of the carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams provided by the present invention, the discharge channel is an M-shaped channel, and the three tip parts of the M-shape of the discharge channel are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the starting end and the ending end of the M-shape of the discharge channel are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

[0012] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams is provided. In order to achieve a single laser outputting more than two light beams, multiple laser resonant cavities are added to the same laser to achieve the output of multiple laser beams. The angle of the reflector is adjustable so that the same laser size, or a longer laser resonant cavity, can obtain a higher power output.

[0013] As a preferred solution of the present invention for providing a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams, when each laser resonant cavity outputs only one laser beam as required, one of the lenses in the corresponding laser resonant cavity is replaced with a total reflection mirror.

[0014] Beneficial effects of the present invention: This invention realizes the output of two laser beams from a single laser through the design of a double-lens resonant cavity, and on this basis, by increasing the number of channels in the double-lens resonant cavity, it can realize the output of multiple laser beams from a single laser. At the same time, the laser output power is proportional to the length of the resonant cavity. Four typical folded double-lens resonant cavities are designed. By folding, the length of the resonant cavity is increased, so that higher power laser output can be obtained with the same laser size. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0016] in: Figure 1 It is a working schematic diagram of the conventional laser beam splitting technology in the prior art; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal connection structure of a laser housing in a resonant cavity of a carbon dioxide laser for emitting multiple laser beams; Figure 4 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the discharge channel and the ceramic plate in the resonant cavity of a carbon dioxide laser for emitting multiple laser beams; Figure 5 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of a laser housing and a mirror base in a resonant cavity of a carbon dioxide laser for emitting multiple laser beams; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of a single straight channel resonant cavity; Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the "V"-shaped channel resonant cavity; Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the "U"-shaped channel resonant cavity; Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the "N"-shaped channel resonant cavity; Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the "M"-shaped channel resonant cavity; Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the multi-channel resonant cavity connection structure.

[0017] In the figure: 1. Excitation source; 2. Cooling fan; 3. Discharge channel; 4. Laser housing; 12. Discharge plate; 13. Ceramic plate; 14. Mirror holder; 15. Heat sink. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] This invention realizes the output of two laser beams from a single laser by using a double-lens resonant cavity design (as shown below): Figure 6 ), and on this basis by increasing the number of double-lens resonant cavity channels (as shown below Fig.11 ), to achieve multiple laser beams output from a single laser. At the same time, the laser output power is proportional to the length of the resonant cavity. Four typical folded double-lens resonant cavities are designed (as shown below): Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10 ), by folding, higher power laser output can be obtained with the same laser size.

[0020] Embodiment 1: like Figure 1-11 As shown, a carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams comprises a laser housing 4, both ends of the laser housing 4 are fixedly connected with a lens holder 14 for fixing a lens, a plurality of heat sinks 15 for heat dissipation are fixedly connected to the laser housing 4, a cooling fan 2 for heat dissipation is fixedly connected to the lower end surface of the laser housing 4, an excitation source 1 for providing energy for a laser working substance is fixedly connected to the upper end surface of the laser housing 4, a ceramic plate 13 is fixedly connected inside the laser housing 4, a discharge plate 12 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the ceramic plate 13, a discharge channel 3 is arranged in the ceramic plate 13, a laser resonant cavity is also arranged in the laser housing 4, the laser resonant cavity comprises a lens and a reflector, the lens and the reflector are both fixed in the lens holder 14, and a laser working substance is arranged in the discharge channel 3; The discharge channel 3 is a single straight channel. A group of lenses are respectively provided at both ends of the discharge channel 3, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

[0021] In this embodiment, the existing solution is as follows Figure 1As shown in the figure, the light beam emitted by the laser is split into two beams by a beam splitter. If more beams of light are needed, the split beams can be further split by adding a beam splitter. Laser splitting will cause the attenuation of the laser beam power. Laser splitting technology requires the use of high-precision optical devices and complex control systems, resulting in high equipment costs.

[0022] In this application, the laser working material (such as ruby, carbon dioxide and other materials that can generate stimulated radiation) is located between two lenses. The excitation source 1 (excitation source 1 uses a 100MHz radio frequency signal, and the radio frequency power output is adjustable from 0 to 350 watts) provides energy for the laser working material to achieve a particle number inversion, and the discharge channel 3 excites the laser working material to generate a laser region through discharge.

[0023] In the laser working material, the photons initially generated by spontaneous radiation will reflect back and forth between the lenses. In this process, the photons will continuously induce the particles in the laser working material to produce stimulated radiation, causing the number of photons with the same frequency, phase, and direction to increase dramatically, that is, the light is amplified. The lens can allow the laser output to reach a certain intensity.

[0024] The lens has a certain transmittance and can be a plane mirror or one with a certain curvature. The inner side is a reflective surface. The reflective surface reflects most of the photons to induce more stimulated radiation and achieve light amplification. A small part of the photons is output from the transmission surface to produce the required laser. In addition, through special design of the transmittance of the lens, the output of multiple light beams with different powers can be achieved (the transmittance of the lens is 8% and there is a full reflector. The lens is made of zinc selenide and the reflector is made of copper or silicon).

[0025] The above is the laser generation mechanism, which is existing technology and will not be elaborated here.

[0026] It should also be understood that, in this embodiment, after the photons in the discharge channel 3 are reflected by the lenses at both ends, some of the laser light reaching the required intensity is emitted from the lenses at both ends to form two back-to-back laser beams.

[0027] The cooling fan 2 and the heat sink 15 are used for cooling the laser, and the ceramic plate 13 is used for constructing the discharge channel 3 .

[0028] Embodiment 2: like Figure 7 As shown, the discharge channel 3 is a V-shaped channel, a group of reflectors are provided at the V-shaped tip of the discharge channel 3, and a group of lenses are provided at each V-shaped foot of the discharge channel 3, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

[0029] In this embodiment, the photons in the discharge channel 3 will be reflected between two groups of lenses and a group of reflectors. The reflectors are fully reflected, and finally the high-intensity laser is emitted from the two groups of lenses. The V-shaped channel here is increased, and the power of the laser is improved. At the same time, the two laser beams have a certain angle. When the optical path is changed, the power of the laser is also improved.

[0030] Compared with traditional single-beam laser processing, multi-beam lasers can process multiple workpieces at the same time, thus reducing the number of equipment. At the same time, due to the high efficiency of multi-beam laser processing, multiple workpieces can be processed at the same time, or multiple processing tracks can be formed on the same workpiece at the same time, thereby shortening the processing time and improving production efficiency.

[0031] Embodiment 3: like Figure 8 As shown, the discharge channel 3 is a U-shaped channel, and the two U-shaped corners of the discharge channel 3 are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the U-shaped bottom feet of the discharge channel 3 are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses.

[0032] In this embodiment, the photons in the discharge channel 3 will be reflected between the two groups of lenses and the two groups of reflectors. The two groups of reflectors are fully reflected, and finally the laser with high intensity is emitted from the two groups of lenses. The U-shaped channel here is increased, and the power of the laser is improved. At the same time, the two laser beams are parallel and transmitted in the same direction. When the optical path is changed, the power of the laser is also improved.

[0033] Embodiment 4: like Fig. 9 As shown, the discharge channel 3 is an N-shaped channel, and the two tip parts of the N-shaped discharge channel 3 are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the N-shaped starting end and the ending end of the discharge channel 3 are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses.

[0034] In this embodiment, the photons in the discharge channel 3 will be reflected between the two groups of lenses and the two groups of reflectors. The two groups of reflectors are fully reflected, and finally the laser with high intensity is emitted from the two groups of lenses. The N-shaped channel here is increased, and the power of the laser is improved. At the same time, the two laser beams are parallel and transmitted in opposite directions. When the optical path is changed, the power of the laser is also improved.

[0035] Embodiment 5: like Fig.10 As shown, the discharge channel 3 is an M-shaped channel, and the three tip parts of the M-shape of the discharge channel 3 are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the starting end and the ending end of the M-shape of the discharge channel 3 are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses.

[0036] In this embodiment, the photons in the discharge channel 3 will be reflected between the two groups of lenses and the three groups of reflectors. The three groups of reflectors are fully reflected, and the laser with high intensity is finally emitted from the two groups of lenses. The M-shaped channel here is further extended, and the power of the laser is further improved. At the same time, the two laser beams are parallel and transmitted in the same direction. When the optical path is changed, the power of the laser is further improved.

[0037] In Embodiments 2-5, under certain power requirements, the volume of the laser is made as small as possible by folding the discharge channel 3, such as Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10 As shown, Figure 7 It is a "V" shaped discharge channel 3, Figure 8 It is a "U" shaped discharge channel 3, Figure 5 It is an "N" shaped discharge channel 3, Figure 6 It is an "M"-shaped discharge channel 3. From the four types of folded discharge channels 3 shown in the figure, it can be found that Figure 6 On the basis of the structure of the discharge channel 3, the discharge channel 3 can be folded by adding one or more reflectors.

[0038] Embodiment 6: like Fig.11 As shown, in order to realize a single laser outputting more than two beams, multiple laser resonant cavities can be added to the same laser to achieve the output of multiple laser beams. The angle of the reflector can be adjusted so that the same laser size or a longer laser resonant cavity can achieve a higher power output.

[0039] In this embodiment, multiple discharge channels 3 similar to single straight, V-shaped, U-shaped, N-shaped or M-shaped are arranged in the same laser, so that multiple laser beams are obtained in the same laser. At the same time, by adjusting the angle of the reflector, the discharge channel in the laser of the same volume is lengthened, thereby increasing the laser power. Fig. 9 The N-shaped discharge channel 3 in the laser diode can reduce the included angle between the two tip parts of the N-shape by adjusting the angle of the reflector, thereby making the N-shape flatter. Finally, the length of the N-shaped discharge channel 3 remains unchanged, the laser power remains unchanged, but the overall volume of the laser is reduced.

[0040] Embodiment 7: like Figure 1-11 As shown, when each laser resonant cavity outputs only one laser beam as required, one of the lenses in the corresponding laser resonant cavity is replaced with the total reflection mirror.

[0041] In this embodiment, after one of the lenses is replaced with a reflector, only one lens remains, and the laser can only be emitted from this lens.

[0042] The workflow is as follows: The excitation source 1 provides energy to the laser working material. In the laser working material, the photons initially generated by spontaneous radiation will reflect back and forth between the lenses. In this process, the photons will continuously induce the particles in the laser working material to produce stimulated radiation, causing the number of photons with the same frequency, phase, and direction to increase dramatically, that is, the light is amplified. The lens can allow the laser output to reach a certain intensity. In this process, the photons in the discharge channel 3 will be completely reflected when encountering the reflector, and will be reflected multiple times in the laser resonant cavity. After reaching a certain intensity, they will be emitted from the lens to form a laser.

[0043] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0044] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may have various changes and improvements, which fall within the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams, comprising a laser housing (4), characterized in that: The two ends of the laser housing (4) are fixedly connected to a lens holder (14) for fixing a lens, the laser housing (4) is fixedly connected to a plurality of heat sinks (15) for heat dissipation, the lower end surface of the laser housing (4) is fixedly connected to a heat dissipation fan (2) for heat dissipation, the upper end surface of the laser housing (4) is fixedly connected to an excitation source (1) for providing energy for a laser working substance, the laser housing (4) is fixedly connected to a ceramic plate (13) inside, the upper end of the ceramic plate (13) is fixedly connected to a discharge plate (12), a discharge channel (3) is provided in the ceramic plate (13), and a laser resonant cavity is also provided in the laser housing (4), the laser resonant cavity comprises a lens and a reflector, the lens and the reflector are both fixed in the lens holder (14), and the discharge channel (3) contains a laser working substance.

2. The carbon dioxide laser resonator for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge channel (3) is a single straight channel, and a group of lenses are respectively provided at both ends of the discharge channel (3), and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

3. The carbon dioxide laser resonator for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge channel (3) is a V-shaped channel, a group of reflectors is provided at the V-shaped tip of the discharge channel (3), and a group of lenses is provided at each V-shaped foot of the discharge channel (3), and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses respectively.

4. The carbon dioxide laser resonator for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge channel (3) is a U-shaped channel, two U-shaped corners of the discharge channel (3) are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the U-shaped bases of the discharge channel (3) are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses.

5. The carbon dioxide laser resonator for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge channel (3) is an N-shaped channel, and the two N-shaped tip portions of the discharge channel (3) are respectively provided with a group of reflectors, and the N-shaped starting end and the ending end of the discharge channel (3) are respectively provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses.

6. The carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The discharge channel (3) is an M-shaped channel, and each of the three M-shaped tip portions of the discharge channel (3) is provided with a group of reflectors, and each of the M-shaped start end and the end end of the discharge channel (3) is provided with a group of lenses, and light beams are emitted from the two groups of lenses.

7. A carbon dioxide laser resonator for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: In order to achieve a single laser outputting more than two light beams, multiple laser resonant cavities may be added to the same laser to achieve the output of multiple laser beams. The angle of the reflector may be adjusted so that the same laser size or a longer laser resonant cavity may achieve a higher power output.

8. The carbon dioxide laser resonant cavity for emitting multiple laser beams as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: When each laser resonant cavity outputs only one laser beam as required, one of the lenses in the corresponding laser resonant cavity is replaced with the total reflection mirror.

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