ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED UNIFORM OR GRADED REFLECTIVITY ELECTRO-OPTIC MIRROR

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To electrically control the reflectance of an outcoupling mirror system and to use a laser process system under various operation conditions by using a single set of optical apparatus.

SOLUTION: The electrically controlled variable reflectance mirror contains a Pockels cell which can control retardation or birefringence of the mirror to vary the light outcoupled from a laser cavity. Since the retardation is a function of voltage applied on the Pockels cell, the voltage can be used to control a fraction of the output beam outcoupled from the laser cavity. The Pockels cell is formed with a profile of constant reflectance so as to form the electrically controlled uniform reflectance electro-optic mirror. The Pockels cell is configured with spatially varying retardation to form the electrically controlled graded reflectance electro-optic mirror. Both of the above embodiments enable a laser process system such as a semiconductor laser process system to be operated over a relatively wide range of operating parameters by using a single set of optical apparatus.

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