U.S. patent number RE28,753 [Application Number 05/340,419] was granted by the patent office on 1976-03-30 for laser cell.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Continental Oil Company. Invention is credited to Alfred T. Zavodny.
United States Patent |
RE28,753 |
Zavodny |
March 30, 1976 |
Laser cell
Abstract
A fluid-filled amplifier cell for laser generation comprises an
elongated housing wherein at least one end contains, within the
cell, a window supported at the Brewster angle and wherein such end
is plugged with a mirror.
Inventors: |
Zavodny; Alfred T. (Ponaca
City, OK) |
Assignee: |
Continental Oil Company (Ponca
City, OK)
|
Family
ID: |
26712494 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/340,419 |
Filed: |
March 12, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
035781 |
May 8, 1970 |
03656067 |
Apr 11, 1972 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
372/103;
372/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01S
3/034 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01S
3/03 (20060101); H01S 3/034 (20060101); H01S
003/03 () |
Field of
Search: |
;331/94.5 ;330/4.3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Sikes; William L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mikesell, Jr.; William A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a fluid-filled laser generator cell:
a. an elongated hollow body having first and second ends;
b. means for imparting energy to a fluid to be contained within
said body;
c. .Iadd.non-closure .Iaddend.window means within said body at a
position intermediate said ends, said window means being oriented
with respect to the longitudinal axis of said body at an angle
about equal to its Brewster angle; and
d. closure means .Iadd.at .Iaddend.at least one of said ends in
association with means for reflecting oriented about
perpendicularly to said longitudinal axis.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said body is substantially
cylindrical and said window means comprises a translucent disc
having opposed substantially planar parallel faces and having an
edge beveled to substantially conform with the interior surface of
said body.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein said interior surface of said body
is further provided with stop means for engaging said edge at about
the location thereon most remote from said closure means.
Description
This invention relates to a fluid laser generation cell. In one
aspect, the invention relates to a laser generation cell for
producing a linearly polarized output in a simple and relatively
inexpensive manner by providing a cell having an internal Brewster
window aligned with a mirrored end closure.
Laser generation cells currently available fall generally into two
classes, viz, a relatively inexpensive cell having mirrored end
closures which does not produce a linearly polarized output, and a
relatively expensive cell having window end closures, set at the
Brewster angle, in conjunction with external mirrors to obtain
laser action; the latter type cell is more versatile and useful
because of its linearly polarized output but, as noted, is
substantially more expensive.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a
simple and relatively inexpensive fluid laser generator cell
capable of producing a linearly polarized output.
Other aspects, objects, and the several advantages of this
invention will become apparent upon study of this disclosure, the
appended claims, and the drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates one type of cell of the prior art;
FIG. 2 illustrates a second type of cell of the prior art;
FIG. 3 illustrates a cell according to one embodiment of the
present invention; and
FIG. 4 illustrates a cell according to a second embodiment of the
present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, and to FIG. 1 in particular, there
is illustrated a cell of the prior art which is of simple
construction and accordingly is relatively inexpensive. Such a cell
comprises an elongated body tube 10 having offset portions 11 for
positioning of electrodes 12, which provide means for the input of
energy to the cell, as is known in the art. Tube 10 is made
fluid-tight by end closures 13 which are made reflecting at their
inner faces 14. The only optical criticality of such a cell is the
parallel alignment of faces 14. This cell, however, generates an
output which is not linearly polarized, and should it be desired to
polarize such output, it must be directed through some polarization
device where it will lose theoretically at least 50 percent of its
power and, as a practical matter, more. This type cell has the
additional disadvantage of mirror deterioration because of
electrical currents.
The prior-art cell of FIG. 2 is of the type more expensive to
manufacture, and comprises a tube 10, portions 11, and electrodes
12 similar to those of FIG. 1. In this cell, the ends of tube 10
are closed by windows 15 which are set at the Brewster angle (that
angle whose tangent equals the index of refraction of the material
of which window 15 is made) with respect to the longitudinal axis
of tube 10. Further, where two windows are used as shown, they must
be oriented properly about the longitudinal axis of the tube with
respect to each other. Laser action is provided by mirrored faces
14 on substrates 16. Because of the windows 16 being set at the
Brewster angle, the output of this cell is linearly polarized, but
the cell is more expensive to build than that of FIG. 1.
According to the invention, I have discovered that a cell having a
linearly polarized output can be built more simply by incorporating
Brewster windows within the cell of the type of FIG. 1, as shown in
FIG. 3. Here, the cell of FIG. 1 is modified by inserting within
tube 10 a window 15' which is oriented at the Brewster angle, but
which does not additionally serve as a closure for tube 10. Thus,
window 15' need only be easily and inexpensively beveled so as to
slide within tube 10; closeness of fit is not critical, since
window 15' does not serve as a closure. Further, the window does
not need to be rotated to any particular position about the
longitudinal axis of the tube unless two windows are used. There is
no theoretical power loss caused by polarization in this device,
and the mirror surfaces are sealed from environmental deterioration
while being shielded from the electrical current. The embodiment of
FIG. 4 is similar to that of FIG. 3, with the addition of a stop
16, which can comprise simply a larger bore diameter in the end
portion of tube 10. In this embodiment, beveled window 15' is held
in position against stop 16 by end closure 13, which is again
provided with a reflective inner face 14.
The various materials of construction of the cell, the working
fluid within the cell, and the method of excitation of the cell are
all within the skill of the art, and do not form a part of the
present invention.
It will be understood that various changes in the details,
materials, steps, and arrangement of parts, which have been herein
described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the
invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the
principle and scope of the invention.
* * * * *