LASER LIGHT-SOURCE APPARATUS AND LASER PULSE LIGHT GENERATING METHOD

摘要

A laser light-source apparatus includes; a seed light source; a fiber amplifier configured to amplify pulse light output from the seed light source based on gain switching; a solid state amplifier configured to further amplify the resultant pulse light; a nonlinear optical element configured to perform wavelength conversion on the pulse light output from the solid state amplifier; an optical switching element that is disposed between the fiber amplifier and the solid state amplifier and is configured to remove ASE noise; and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the optical switching element in such a manner that propagation of light is permitted in an output period of the pulse light from the seed light source, and is stopped in a period other than the output period.

主权项

1. A laser light-source apparatus comprising:
a seed light source configured to output pulse light based on gain switching; a fiber amplifier configured to amplify the pulse light output from the seed light source; a solid state amplifier configured to amplify the pulse light output from the fiber amplifier; a nonlinear optical element configured to perform wavelength conversion on the pulse light output from the solid state amplifier and output the resultant pulse light: an optical switching element that is disposed between the fiber amplifier and the solid state amplifier, and is configured to permit or stop propagation of light from the fiber amplifier to the solid state amplifier; and a control unit configured to execute: gain switching control processing in which the seed light source is driven at a predetermined cycle; excitation control processing in which an excitation light source of the fiber amplifier and/or the solid state amplifier is periodically or intermittently controlled in such a manner that the fiber amplifier and/or the solid state amplifier enters a population inversion state before receiving the pulse light output from the seed light source; and optical switch control processing in which the optical switching element is controlled in such a manner that the propagation of the light is permitted in an output period of the pulse light from the seed light source, and stopped in a period other than the output period of the pulse light from the seed light source.