Kenneth B. Steinbruegge

Laser Properties of Nd +3 and Ho +3 Doped Crystals with the Apatite Structure

A great variety of compounds occur in nature or have been synthesized in the laboratory that crystallize with the apatite structure. We have investigated a number of the apatites and found them to be excellent laser hosts for neodymium and holmium. The apatites described in this paper were grown using the Czochralski method, have low optical losses in the pump and emission spectral regions for neodymium and holmium, and the hosts have been developed to readily accept large concentrations of doping ions. This paper describes the crystal growth, physical properties, spectroscopy, and laser performance of this family of new laser materials.

Infrared acousto-optic tunable filter

An improved infrared acousto-optic tunable filter is provided by an acousto-optic birefringent crystal having polished, uncoated input and output faces normal to the radiation incident-on or diffracted-by the crystal, respectively, and wherein crystallographic axis is oriented at about 21 degrees to the incident infrared radiation, rf transducer means coupled to the crystal for tuning or selecting a narrow bandwidth infrared wavelength of interest, and input and output wire grid polarizer are aligned with the crystal. The input wire grid polarizer is aligned to polarize the input infrared radiation in the same plane as the plane of the b-c crystalline axes of the crystal. The output wire grid polarizer is disposed with the parallel conductors aligned transversely to the conductors of the input polarizer, so that only the selected or tuned bandwidth of interest is transmitted through the output polarizer.

The Application of Lasers to Industry

The recent increase in energy output, average power, and reliability of some lasers has made them worthy of consideration for manufacturing operations. Pulsed lasers can be used for hole punching and spot welding. Low-power continuous output gas lasers can be used for a wide variety of applications, including optical alignment, interferometric precision measurements, and measurements of fluid flow velocity. Other continuous output lasers, such as the carbon dioxide gas laser, are capable of power outputs in excess of 103 watts at greater than 10 percent efficiency and can be used to cut materials in unique ways. Lasers show particular promise for use in automated operations, and the use of a light beam as a cutting agent eliminates the need for maintenance such as cleaning and sharpening.