Method of fabricating a microchip laser

Claim 1

A method of making a microchip laser with a nonlinear optical material laser light frequency converter comprising the steps of: growing a boule of laser gain material; slicing the boule of laser gain material into a wafer; lapping the gain wafer flat and parallel and to a thickness l wherein l satisfies the relationship l=c/2nν g wherein n is the index of refraction for the gain material, and ν g is the bandwidth of the gain material; applying mirrors to the gain material wafer so as to form a resonant cavity; dicing the gain material with resonant cavity wafer into microchips; associating the microchip with a pumping laser so as to allow the laser light to enter the gain material through the face of the resonant cavity; growing a boule of nonlinear optical material; slicing the boule of nonlinear optical material into a wafer; forming a Fabry-Perot resonant cavity upon said nonlinear optical material wafer; dicing the nonlinear optical material wafer with Fabry-Perot resonant cavity into chips; and associating a nonlinear optical material chip with a microchip such that light emitted from the microchip upon stimulation by said pumping laser impinges upon the nonlinear optical material chip through a face of the Fabry-Perot resonant cavity.

Claim 2

A method of making a microchip laser with a nonlinear optical material laser light frequency converter comprising the steps of: growing a boule of laser gain material; slicing the boule of laser gain material into a wafer; lapping the gain wafer flat and parallel and to a thickness l wherein l satisfies the relationship l=c/2nν g wherein n is the index of refraction for the gain material, and ν g is the bandwidth of the gain material; applying mirrors to the gain material wafer so as to form a resonant cavity; dicing the gain material with resonant cavity wafer into microchips; associating the microchip with a pumping laser so as to allow the laser light to enter the gain material through the face of the resonant cavity; growing a boule of nonlinear optical material; slicing the boule of nonlinear optical material into a wafer; forming a Fabry-Perot resonant cavity upon said nonlinear optical material wafer; dicing the nonlinear optical material wafer with Fabry-Perot resonant cavity into chips; and associating a nonlinear optical material chip with a microchip such that light emitted from the microchip upon stimulation by said pumping laser impinges upon the nonlinear optical material chip through a face of the Fabry-Perot resonant cavity.

Claim 3

A method of making a microchip laser with a nonlinear optical material laser light frequency converter comprising the steps of: growing a boule of laser gain material; growing a boule of nonlinear optical material; slicing the boule of laser gain material into a wafer; slicing the boule of nonlinear optical material into a wafer; lapping the wafer of laser gain material and the wafer of nonlinear optical material parallel and flat to thicknesses l 1 and l 2 , respectively, such that the thicknesses satisfy the relationship: ν.sub.g c/2(n.sub.1 l.sub.1 +n.sub.2 .sub.2), wherein n 1 is the refractive index of the gain medium, n 2 is the refractive index of the nonlinear optical material and ν g is the bandwidth of the gain medium; bonding the wafer of gain material to the wafer of nonlinear optical material using transparent optical cement; applying a mirror to each free face of the bonded wafers so as to form a resonant cavity; dicing the combined wafer and resonant cavity into microchips, and associating a microchip with resonant cavity with a pumping laser such that light from the pumping laser enters the resonant cavity through the face of the resonator associated with the gain medium.

Claim 4

A method of making a microchip laser with a nonlinear optical material laser light frequency converter comprising the steps of: growing a boule of laser gain material; growing a boule of nonlinear optical material; slicing the boule of laser gain material into a wafer; slicing the boule of nonlinear optical material into a wafer; lapping the wafer of laser gain material and the wafer of nonlinear optical material parallel and flat to thicknesses l 1 and l 2 , respectively, such that the thicknesses satisfy the relationship: ν.sub.g c/2(n.sub.1 l.sub.1 +n.sub.2 .sub.2), wherein n 1 is the refractive index of the gain medium, n 2 is the refractive index of the nonlinear optical material and ν g is the bandwidth of the gain medium; bonding the wafer of gain material to the wafer of nonlinear optical material using transparent optical cement; applying a mirror to each free face of the bonded wafers so as to form a resonant cavity; dicing the combined wafer and resonant cavity into microchips, and associating a microchip with resonant cavity with a pumping laser such that light from the pumping laser enters the resonant cavity through the face of the resonator associated with the gain medium.

Claim 5

A method of generating a single frequency, single longitudinal mode of light oscillation comprising: a) disposing a solid state gain medium between two mirrors forming a cavity in which the distance l 1 between the mirrors is selected such that the gain bandwidth of the gain medium is less than or equal to the frequency separation of the cavity modes of propagation and further wherein 1, satisfied the following: 1≦c/2nν g where c is the speed of light, n is the refractive index in the gain medium, and ν g is the gain bandwidth of the gain medium and one cavity mode frequency falls within the gain bandwidth of the gain medium to produce such single frequency single longitudinal mode of light oscillation from said medium; and b) pumping the gain medium with light.

Claim 6

A method of generating a single frequency, single longitudinal mode of light oscillation comprising: a) disposing a solid state gain medium between two mirrors forming a cavity in which the distance l 1 between the mirrors is selected such that the gain bandwidth of the gain medium is less than or equal to the frequency separation of the cavity modes of propagation and further wherein 1, satisfied the following: 1≦c/2nν g where c is the speed of light, n is the refractive index in the gain medium, and ν g is the gain bandwidth of the gain medium and one cavity mode frequency falls within the gain bandwidth of the gain medium to produce such single frequency single longitudinal mode of light oscillation from said medium; and b) pumping the gain medium with light.

Claim 18

A method of generating light at a single frequency and longitudinal mode of oscillation comprising the steps of: a) disposing a solid state gain medium between two mirrors to form an optical cavity the distance l 1 between the mirrors being selected so that the gain bandwidth of the gain medium is less than or substantially equal to the frequency separation of modes of light propagated in said cavity by stimulated emission of light and such that one cavity mode frequency falls within the gain bandwidth of the medium; b) pumping said medium with light to stimulate emission of light from said medium which emission from said medium is at a single frequency and single longitudinal mode of oscillation; and c) disposing nonlinear optical material to receive light from the gain medium, the nonlinear optical material selected to generate harmonics of the light from the gain medium and wherein the length of the gain medium and the length of the nonlinear material satisfies the relationship ν.sub.g ≦c/2(n.sub.1 l.sub.1 +n.sub.2 l.sub.2) wherein n 1 and l 1 are the refractive index and length, respectively, of the gain medium, n 2 and l 2 are the refractive index and length, respectively, of the nonlinear optical material, and ν g is the bandwidth of the gain material.

Claim 19

A method of generating light at a single frequency and longitudinal mode of oscillation comprising the steps of: a) disposing a solid state gain medium between two mirrors to form an optical cavity the distance l 1 between the mirrors being selected so that the gain bandwidth of the gain medium is less than or substantially equal to the frequency separation of modes of light propagated in said cavity by stimulated emission of light and such that one cavity mode frequency falls within the gain bandwidth of the medium; b) pumping said medium with light to stimulate emission of light from said medium which emission from said medium is at a single frequency and single longitudinal mode of oscillation; and c) disposing nonlinear optical material to receive light from the gain medium, the nonlinear optical material selected to generate harmonics of the light from the gain medium and wherein the length of the gain medium and the length of the nonlinear material satisfies the relationship ν.sub.g ≦c/2(n.sub.1 l.sub.1 +n.sub.2 l.sub.2) wherein n 1 and l 1 are the refractive index and length, respectively, of the gain medium, n 2 and l 2 are the refractive index and length, respectively, of the nonlinear optical material, and ν g is the bandwidth of the gain material.

Claim 36

A method of forming an array of lasers comprising the steps of: a) disposing a body of solid state gain material between two mirrors to form an optical cavity, the thickness of the body selected so that the gain bandwidth of the gain medium is less than or substantially equal to the frequency separation of the modes of propagation of light in the cavity and such that at least one cavity mode frequency falls within the gain bandwidth of the medium; and b) disposing an array of lasers adjacent and aligned with the body so as to stimulate said gain medium into light emission.

Claim 37

A method of forming an array of lasers comprising the steps of: a) disposing a body of solid state gain material between two mirrors to form an optical cavity, the thickness of the body selected so that the gain bandwidth of the gain medium is less than or substantially equal to the frequency separation of the modes of propagation of light in the cavity and such that at least one cavity mode frequency falls within the gain bandwidth of the medium; and b) disposing an array of lasers adjacent and aligned with the body so as to stimulate said gain medium into light emission.