SIDE PUMPING ARRANGEMENT

摘要

The use of rectangular cross section gain material (26) with two or more cylindrical lenses (28, 30) placed in close proximity or attached to opposite sides (26a, 26b) of the gain material (26) allows for an efficient pumping of the gain material (26) in an optical gain component. The optical gain component can be used in a laser device. Laser diode bars (32, 34) are arranged so as to pump the gain material (26) through the lenses (28, 30). A cooling apparatus (54) can cool a rectangular cross section gain material (26) through two opposite flat sides so that no thermal birefringence is created. An optical gain component (83) with two gain materials (66', 80') can orient these two gain materials such that the small-signal gain is almost circular and gaussian in profile with a large center peak tapering off to a much lower gin at the edges.