Laser tuning and modulating system having an external feedback path

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR MODULATING AND TUNING A LASER COMPRISING A RESONANT CAVITY, AN ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STIMULATED EMISSION IN THE FORM OF A LASER BEAM, SAID LASER MATERIAL BEING POSITIONED IN SAID CAVITY, SAID ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL FURTHER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND END SURFACES COATED WITH ANTIREFLECTION LAYERS TO PERMIT SAID LASER BEAM TO EMERGE THEREFROM AND ALSO ENTER THEREIN, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING EXCITATION ENERGY TO SAID ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL TO STIMULATE EMISSION OF SAID RADIATION IN THE FORM OF SAID LASER BEAM, FIRST OPTICAL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH AND PART OF SAID CAVITY RECEIVING SAID LASER BEAM FROM SAID FIRST END AND DIRECTING SAID LASER BEAM IN A FIRST PATH EXTERNAL TO SAID LASER MATERIAL TO SECOND OPTICAL MEANS ALSO BEING ASSOCIATED WITH AND PART OF SAID CAVITY, SAID SECOND OPTICAL MEANS DIRECTING SAID LASER BEAM TO SAID SECOND END, SAID SECOND OPTICAL MEANS SIMULTANEOUSLY RECEIVING A LASER BEAM OUTPUT FROM SAID SECOND END AND DIRECTING SAID LASER BEAM OUTPUT IN A SECOND PATH EXTERNAL TO SAID LASER MATERIAL TO SAID FIRST OPTICAL MEANS FOR FURTHER TRANSMISSION TO SAID FIRST END, SAID FIRST AND SECOND PATHS BEING ALONG COINCIDENTAL LINES, A FABRY-PEROT ETALON WITH A PRESELECTEDF FREQUENCY RANGE INTERPOSED IN SAID EXTERNAL BEAM PATHS AND SAID FABBRY-PEROT ETALON PERMITTING THE PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID LASER BEAMS AND OPERATING TO RESTRICT THE RESONANCE OF SAID ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL TO SAID PRESELECTED FREQUENCY RANGE OF SAID ETALON, SAID FABRY-PEROT ETALON INCLUDING A PAIR OF PLATES SEPARATED BY A QUARTZ SPACER, MEANS TO APPLY A DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID PLATES FOR APPLICATION TO SAID QUARTZ CRYSTAL TO PROVIDE A PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT, THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE BEING VARIABLE THUS PROVIDING A VARIATION OF FREQUENCY RANGE, MODULATING MEANS IN SERIES WITH SAID DIRECT VOLTAGE APPLYING MEANS, AND A BEAM SPLITTER ALSO INTERPOSED IN SAID EXTERNAL PATHS TO DIRECT A PORTION OF SAID LASER BEAMS FROM SAID EXTERNAL PATHS TO PROVIDE A MODULATED LASER BEAM OUTPUT.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR MODULATING AND TUNING A LASER COMPRISING A RESONANT CAVITY, AN ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STIMULATED EMISSION IN THE FORM OF A LASER BEAM, SAID LASER MATERIAL BEING POSITIONED IN SAID CAVITY, SAID ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL FURTHER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND END SURFACES COATED WITH ANTIREFLECTION LAYERS TO PERMIT SAID LASER BEAM TO EMERGE THEREFROM AND ALSO ENTER THEREIN, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING EXCITATION ENERGY TO SAID ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL TO STIMULATE EMISSION OF SAID RADIATION IN THE FORM OF SAID LASER BEAM, FIRST OPTICAL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH AND PART OF SAID CAVITY RECEIVING SAID LASER BEAM FROM SAID FIRST END AND DIRECTING SAID LASER BEAM IN A FIRST PATH EXTERNAL TO SAID LASER MATERIAL TO SECOND OPTICAL MEANS ALSO BEING ASSOCIATED WITH AND PART OF SAID CAVITY, SAID SECOND OPTICAL MEANS DIRECTING SAID LASER BEAM TO SAID SECOND END, SAID SECOND OPTICAL MEANS SIMULTANEOUSLY RECEIVING A LASER BEAM OUTPUT FROM SAID SECOND END AND DIRECTING SAID LASER BEAM OUTPUT IN A SECOND PATH EXTERNAL TO SAID LASER MATERIAL TO SAID FIRST OPTICAL MEANS FOR FURTHER TRANSMISSION TO SAID FIRST END, SAID FIRST AND SECOND PATHS BEING ALONG COINCIDENTAL LINES, A FABRY-PEROT ETALON WITH A PRESELECTEDF FREQUENCY RANGE INTERPOSED IN SAID EXTERNAL BEAM PATHS AND SAID FABBRY-PEROT ETALON PERMITTING THE PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID LASER BEAMS AND OPERATING TO RESTRICT THE RESONANCE OF SAID ACTIVE LASER MATERIAL TO SAID PRESELECTED FREQUENCY RANGE OF SAID ETALON, SAID FABRY-PEROT ETALON INCLUDING A PAIR OF PLATES SEPARATED BY A QUARTZ SPACER, MEANS TO APPLY A DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID PLATES FOR APPLICATION TO SAID QUARTZ CRYSTAL TO PROVIDE A PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT, THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE BEING VARIABLE THUS PROVIDING A VARIATION OF FREQUENCY RANGE, MODULATING MEANS IN SERIES WITH SAID DIRECT VOLTAGE APPLYING MEANS, AND A BEAM SPLITTER ALSO INTERPOSED IN SAID EXTERNAL PATHS TO DIRECT A PORTION OF SAID LASER BEAMS FROM SAID EXTERNAL PATHS TO PROVIDE A MODULATED LASER BEAM OUTPUT.