増幅媒質の均質なポンピングによるレーザビームの増幅

摘要

An apparatus and method for the amplification of a laser beam by pumping a homogenous composite source beam through an amplification medium. A slab crystalline active medium (14) is side-pumped via a pump module having a laser diode bar (18) and an optical assembly. The optical assembly has a fast axis collimator (34) and a lens (36) in the fast axis and an array (40) of slow axis collimators (42) and the lens (36) in the slow axis. The lenses are spaced so that the individual source beams from the emitters are: imaged upon a first facet (24) of the amplification medium; have a beam waist at or near the first facet; are sized to fill the first facet; substantially overlap on the first facet; and are directed so that peripheral source beams undergo total internal reflection on entering the amplification medium. Embodiments of multiple laser diode bars and optical assemblies are described together with double side pumping arrangements.