KR20190047428A - Microchip laser oscillator device - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a microchip laser module comprises: a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) diode laser for generating a pump light; a spherical lens for focusing the pump light emitted from the VCSEL diode laser; a resonator arranged to absorb and que-switch the pump light transmitting the spherical lens; and a laser housing accommodating the VCSEL diode laser, the spherical lens, and the resonator in a state where the VCSEL diode laser, the spherical lens, and the resonator are aligned in the laser housing.

Description

[0001] MICROCHIP LASER OSCILLATOR DEVICE [0002]

The following description relates to a microchip laser oscillator device.

Lasers are intensive, condensing, and direct optical radiation by stimulating photon emissions by electrical or molecular transfer to low energy levels. The laser is manufactured in various forms according to the requirements of the user, considering the shape of the medium, the output wavelength, the size, the divergence angle, and the output.

Recently, research and development on miniaturization of a laser oscillator have been actively performed. In order to miniaturize the laser oscillator, the size of the laser has to be small, but there has been a problem that the output beam quality is deteriorated.

In general, the pump LD light source used in the laser differs greatly in the divergence angle between the fast axis and the slow axis. Even if a cylindrical lens and a spherical lens are used in combination in order to collimate the LD light source, And since the output beam quality of the laser oscillator is affected by the beam quality of the pump beam, a relatively large beam expander is required, which makes it difficult to miniaturize the laser oscillator.

The background art described above is possessed or acquired by the inventor in the derivation process of the present invention, and can not be said to be a known art disclosed in general public before application of the present invention.

An object of one embodiment is to provide a microchip laser oscillator device.

The microchip laser module according to an embodiment includes a VCSEL diode laser generating a pump light; A spherical lens for focusing the pump light emitted from the VCSEL diode laser; A resonator arranged to absorb and pump the pump light passing through the spherical lens; And a laser housing accommodating the VCSEL diode laser, the spherical lens, and the resonator in a state aligned in a line.

The resonator may include: a gain medium formed of Er, Yb, and Glass; Co: Spinel crystal material, and the gain medium and the cue switching medium may be formed into a single block through optical bonding.

The gain medium may have a thickness ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm, and the cue switching medium may have a thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 3 mm.

Wherein the resonator comprises: a first coating layer formed on one side of the resonator and partially reflecting at a laser wavelength of 1.5 nm; A second coating layer formed on the other side of the resonator and totally reflecting with respect to a laser wavelength of 1.5 nm; A third coating layer formed on one side of the resonator and totally reflecting with respect to the pump light; And a fourth coating layer formed on the other side of the resonator and not reflecting with respect to the pump light.

The laser oscillator of one embodiment including the above-described microchip laser module includes a beam expanding module for expanding laser light generated in the microchip laser module; And an oscillator housing having an inner space formed therein and a partition wall disposed in the inner space and having a center hole, the oscillator housing accommodating the microchip laser module in one direction with respect to the partition, And the optical axis of the microchip laser module and the beam expanding module are fixed so as to coincide with each other.

The light flux expanding module includes: a magnifying lens for enlarging a light flux; A collimating lens for collimating the light beam; And a distance maintainer disposed between the magnifying lens and the collimating lens.

The microchip laser module may further include an O-ring disposed at both ends, and the microchip laser module may be fitted into the oscillator housing through the O-ring.

An enlarged lens retainer formed to enclose at least a part of the magnifying lens and fitted and interposed between the magnifying lens and the inside of the oscillator housing; And a collimator lens retainer formed to surround at least a part of the collimator lens and fitted to the end of the oscillator housing, wherein the collimator lens module is disposed in a direction in which the laser beam is input from the microchip laser Accordingly, the magnifying lens, the distance maintaining lens, and the collimating lens may be arranged in this order.

The distance maintaining device includes: a body portion having an outer diameter equal to an outer diameter of the enlarged lens retainer; And an engagement end protruding from the body portion and contacting the enlargement lens and having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the enlargement lens, wherein the enlargement lens retainer comprises: May be formed so as to be enclosed together.

According to the microchip laser oscillator according to one embodiment, an output beam having an excellent beam quality can be obtained through a microchip laser using a VCSEL semiconductor diode.

According to the microchip laser oscillator of the embodiment, since the VCSEL laser diode is used, the number of lenses used for focusing can be reduced and the size of the beam expander can be reduced as compared with the case of using a general laser diode, The oscillator can be easily made compact.

According to the resonator according to the embodiment, since the gain medium and the cue switching medium are provided as a single block through the optical junction, the volume occupied in the microchip laser module can be reduced, and as a result, the microchip laser module can be made compact .

According to the microchip laser oscillator according to the embodiment, since the microchip laser module and the beam expanding module can be removably attached at both ends of the oscillator housing in a modular and compact manner, the module can be easily assembled, Thereby providing a microchip laser oscillator.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a microchip laser oscillator according to an embodiment.
2 is an exploded view of a microchip laser oscillator according to one embodiment.
3 is a cross-sectional view of a microchip laser module according to one embodiment.
4 is an exploded view of a resonator according to one embodiment.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a resonator according to an embodiment.
6 is a cross-sectional view of a beam expanding module according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the embodiments, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the best of an understanding clear.

In describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, Quot; may be " connected, " " coupled, " or " connected. &Quot;

The components included in any one embodiment and the components including common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the description of any one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted in the overlapping scope.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a microchip laser oscillator according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a microchip laser oscillator according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a microchip laser oscillator 1 according to an embodiment may be a passive type cascaded laser oscillator generating an eye safety wavelength. For example, the microchip laser oscillator 1 may include an oscillator housing 11, a microchip laser module 12, and a beam expanding module 13.

The oscillator housing 11 may be a case forming the outer shape of the microchip laser oscillator 1, and may have an internal space formed therein. For example, the oscillator housing 11 may have a cylindrical shape, but the outer shape of the cross-section may have a triangular, rectangular, and polygonal shape. The oscillator housing 11 can accommodate the microchip laser module 12 and the beam expanding module 13.

For example, the oscillator housing 11 may include a partition 111, a first inner space 112, and a second inner space 113.

The barrier ribs 111 may be formed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the oscillator housing 11 in the inner space of the oscillator housing 11 to divide the inner spaces 112 and 113 into two spaces. For example, the partition 111 may partition the internal spaces 112 and 113 into a first internal space 112 and a second internal space 113, as shown in FIG. For example, a hole through which the laser beam can pass may be formed in the center of the partition wall 111.

The first inner space 112 may be a left region of the inner space of the oscillator housing 11 partitioned by the partition 111 as shown in FIG. The light flux expanding module 13 can be detachably inserted into the first internal space 112.

For example, the size and shape of the outer diameter of the first inner space 112 are formed to be the same as the size and shape of the outer diameter of the beam expanding module 13, so that the beam expanding module 13 has the first inner space 112, It can be easily inserted and removed.

The second inner space 113 may be a region on the right side of the inner space of the oscillator housing 11 partitioned by the partition 111 as shown in Fig. The microchip laser module 12 may be detachably inserted into the second internal space 113. For example, the size and shape of the outer diameter of the second inner space 113 are formed to be the same as the size and shape of the outer diameter of the microchip laser module 12, 113).

According to the microchip laser module 12 and the beam expanding module 13 which can be removed from the inside of the oscillator housing 11, the optical axes of the microchip laser module 12 and the beam expanding module 13 can be fixed have.

Further, the microchip laser module 12 and the beam expanding module 13 are easily assembled and disassembled, and each module can be easily replaced and repaired for maintenance and replacement.

The microchip laser module 12 can be formed compact and compact to generate a cue-switched laser. The microchip laser module 12 may be installed in the second internal space 113 and the cue switched laser generated in the microchip laser module 12 may pass through the hole of the partition wall 111 and enter the first internal space The beam expanding module 13 installed in the light source 112 may be incident. The specific configuration of the microchip laser module 12 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG.

The beam expanding module 13 can receive the laser generated from the microchip laser module 12, enlarge the light flux of the laser, and adjust the divergence angle of the laser light. For example, the beam expanding module 13 may be installed in the first internal space 112. The specific configuration of the beam expanding module 13 will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a microchip laser module according to an embodiment, FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a resonator according to an embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a resonator according to an embodiment.

3 to 5, the microchip laser module 12 according to one embodiment includes a laser housing 121, a VCSEL diode laser 122, a spherical lens 123, a resonator 124, and an O-ring 125 ).

The laser housing 121 may be a case constituting the outer shape of the microchip laser module 12. [ For example, the laser housing 121 can compactly accommodate a VCSEL diode laser 122, a spherical lens 123 and a resonator 124 for generating a cue-switched laser. For example, the laser housing 121 may be a cylindrical case.

The VCSEL diode laser 122 may be a semiconductor laser diode emitting a VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) laser, and may provide the pump light to the resonator 124.

For example, the VCSEL diode laser 122 may have a smaller divergence angle difference between the fast axis and the slow axis than the laser diode typically used. In the case of a general laser diode, it is possible to use only a spherical condensing lens in the case of a VCSE diode laser, whereas a cylindrical lens is used in conjunction with the spherical lens 123 for collimating and focusing the laser, It is possible to make the beam expanding module 13 relatively small. Therefore, according to the VCSEL diode laser 122, the microchip laser oscillator 1 can be made compact.

The spherical lens 123 can focus the pump light generated by the VCSEL diode laser 122 and transmit it to the resonator 124.

The resonator 124 can absorb the focused pump light and emit a cue-switched laser of eye safety wavelength. The resonator 124 may be arranged in a line in the laser housing 121 together with the VCSEL diode laser 122 and the spherical lens 123.

For example, the resonator 124 may include a gain medium 1241, a cue switching medium 1242, a first coating layer 1244, a second coating layer 1245, a third coating layer 1243, and a fourth coating layer 1246, . ≪ / RTI >

The gain medium 1241 may be a material capable of receiving the pump light and capable of density inversion through pumping and amplifying the pump light. Some of the pump light passing through the gain medium 1241 may not be completely absorbed by the gain medium 1241 and may be delivered to the queue switching medium 1242. [

For example, the gain medium 1241 may be formed of an Er, Yb: Glass material of phosphate glass. In this case, the gain medium 1241 may have a thickness ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm.

The cue switching medium 1242 may be a saturated absorber that receives the pump light that has passed through the gain medium 1241. For example, the queue switching medium 1242 may oscillate the cue switched laser by causing the pump light input at the gain medium 1241 to resonate.

For example, the queue switching medium 1242 may be formed of a material of Co: Spinel crystal, in which case the queue switching medium 1242 may have a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. According to such a queue switching medium 1242, a strong peak output can be generated by improving the peak power per unit time.

For example, the gain medium 1241 and the queue switching medium 1242 may be arranged in the order of the gain medium 1241 and the queue switching medium 1242 from the VCSEL diode laser 122.

For example, the gain medium 1241 and the queue switching medium 1242 may be formed as a single block. In this case, the gain medium 1241 and the queue switching medium 1242 may be bonded through optical bonding. For example, optical bonding can be done in the order of precision surface preparation, pre-bonding at room temperature, and high temperature annealing.

The resonator 124 having the gain medium 1241 and the cue switching medium 1242 formed as a single block can reduce the space occupied by the resonator 124 inside the laser housing 121 So that the volume of the laser housing 121 can be reduced.

The first coating layer 1244 may be a reflective coating layer formed on one side of both the gain medium 1241 formed in a single block and the cue switching medium 1242. For example, the first coating layer 1244 may be formed on the side of the laser oscillation of both sides of the queue switching medium 1242, and may be formed by a partial reflection ) ≪ / RTI >

The second coating layer 1245 may be a reflective coating layer formed on the opposite side of the first coating layer 1244 on both sides of the gain medium 1241 formed in a single block and the cue switching medium 1242. For example, the second coating layer 1245 may be formed on both sides of the gain medium 1241 on the side to which the pump light is incident, and may be formed of a high reflection material for a laser wavelength, for example, Can be coated.

According to the first coating layer 1244 and the second coating layer 1245, the laser wavelengths formed through the gain medium 1241 and the cue switching medium 1242 are resonant between the first coating layer 1244 and the second coating layer 1245 So that the energy can be excited.

The third coating layer 1243 may be a reflective coating layer formed on one side of the gain medium 1241 formed in a single block and on both sides of the cue switching medium 1242. For example, the third coating layer 1243 may be formed on the side where the laser is oscillated on both sides of the queue switching medium 1242, and may be subjected to a high reflection coating process on the pump light.

The fourth coating layer 1246 may be a reflective coating layer formed on the opposite side of the third coating layer 1243 on both sides of the gain medium 1241 formed in a single block and the cue switching medium 1242. For example, the fourth coating layer 1246 may be formed on the side of the gain medium 1241 on which the pump light is incident, and may be antireflection coated on the pump light.

According to the third coating layer 1243 and the fourth coating layer 1246, surplus pump light having passed through the gain medium 1241 and the cue switching medium 1242 can be recovered to the gain medium 1241 again.

The O-ring 125 may be disposed at both ends of the laser housing 121. For example, the O-ring 125 may be formed to surround the periphery of the laser housing 121 at both end portions of the laser housing 121. For example, the O-ring 125 may be arranged around the periphery of the laser housing 121 such that the O-ring 125 is easily fixed around the O-ring 125 in the laser housing 121 Grooves may be formed.

According to the O-ring 125, when the laser housing 121 is inserted into the second inner space 113 of the oscillator housing 11, it can be fitted between the second inner space 113 and the laser housing 121 So that the laser housing 121 can be firmly fixed within the second inner space 113 of the oscillator housing 11.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a beam expanding module according to an embodiment.

6, the beam expanding module 13 according to one embodiment includes a magnifying lens 131, a distance maintainer 132, a collimating lens 133, an enlarged lens retainer 134, and an enlarged lens retainer 135 ).

The magnifying lens 131 may be a lens for magnifying the light flux of the laser light output from the microchip laser module 12. [ For example, the magnifying lens 131 may be disposed close to the partition 111 in the first inner space 112. [

The enlarged lens retainer 134 may be formed to enclose a part of the magnifying lens 131 and may be fitted and fixed between the magnifying lens 131 and the inner wall of the first inner space 112 of the oscillator housing 11 . For example, the enlarged lens retainer 134 may be formed to enclose the engaging end portion 1322 of the distance retainer 132 and the magnifying lens 131 so that the magnifying lens 131 And the distance retainer 132 and can support the coupling between the magnifying lens 131 and the distance retainer 132. [ The end of the enlarged lens retainer 134 may be bent inward and inserted into the depressed portion of the engagement end 1322 of the distance retainer 132. [ According to such a structure, the magnifying lens 131 can be fixed in a properly aligned state between the enlarged lens retainer 134 and the distance retainer 132. [ For example, the enlarged lens retainer 134 may be formed of an elastic material.

The distance maintainer 132 is a tubular member having an inner passage formed therein, which is a path of movement of the laser beam that has passed through the magnifying lens 131, and can maintain the distance between the magnifying lens 131 and the collimator lens 133 .

For example, the distance maintainer 132 includes a body portion 1321 having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the enlarged lens retainer 134, a body portion 1321 protruding from the body portion 1321 and in contact with the enlarged lens 131, ) Having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the outer tube 1320. [

The enlarged lens retainer 134 is formed to enclose the magnifying lens 131 and the engaging end 1322 together so that the magnifying lens 131 and the distance retainer 132 are connected to the oscillator housing 11, .

For example, the inner passage of the distance maintainer 132 may be formed to have a narrow cross-sectional area at the coupling end 1322 in consideration of the degree of enlargement of the laser beam passing through the magnifying lens 131, It can be formed to be widely extended. An inclined portion may be provided between the engaging end portion 1322 and the body portion 1321.

The collimator lens 133 may be a lens for collimating the light flux of the enlarged laser beam. For example, the collimating lens 133 may be connected to the opposite end of the mating end 1322 that contacts the magnifying lens 131 of the distance maintainer 132. [

The collimator lens retainer 135 is formed so as to surround at least a part of the collimator lens 133 and can be fitted to the end of the oscillator housing 11. [ For example, the collimator lens retainer 135 may be disposed at the entrance portion of the first internal space 112 of the oscillator housing 11. [

For example, the collimator lens retainer 135 may provide an adhesion force between the collimator lens 133 and the distance retainer 132 so that the collimator lens 133 and the distance retainer 132 are spaced apart from the oscillator housing 11 1 inner space 112. [0033] FIG. The collimator lens retainer 135 may be formed of an elastic material.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. For example, it is contemplated that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described structures, devices, and the like may be combined or combined in other ways than the described methods, Appropriate results can be achieved even if they are replaced or replaced.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments and equivalents to the claims are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (9)

A VCSEL diode laser generating a pump;
A spherical lens for focusing the pump light emitted from the VCSEL diode laser;
A resonator arranged to absorb and pump the pump light passing through the spherical lens; And
And a laser housing accommodating the VCSEL diode laser, the spherical lens, and the resonator in a state aligned in a line.
The method according to claim 1,
The resonator
Er, Yb: Gain medium formed of glass material; And
Co: a cue switching medium formed of a spinel crystal material,
Wherein the gain medium and the cue switching medium are formed as a single block through optical bonding.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the gain medium has a thickness in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm,
Wherein the queue switching medium has a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 3 mm.
The method of claim 3,
The resonator includes:
A first coating layer formed on one side of the resonator and partially reflecting with respect to a laser wavelength of 1.5 nm;
A second coating layer formed on the other side of the resonator and totally reflecting with respect to a laser wavelength of 1.5 nm;
A third coating layer formed on one side of the resonator and totally reflecting with respect to the pump light; And
And a fourth coating layer formed on the other side of the resonator and not reflecting with respect to the pump light.
5. A laser oscillator comprising a microchip laser module according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A beam expanding module for expanding laser light generated in the microchip laser module; And
And an oscillator housing having an inner space formed therein and a partition wall disposed in the inner space and having a central hole,
Wherein the oscillator housing includes a microchip laser module that receives the microchip laser module in one direction with respect to the partition and accommodates the beam expanding module in the other direction and fixes the optical axis of the microchip laser module and the beam expanding module to coincide with each other, oscillator.
6. The method of claim 5,
The light beam expanding module includes:
A magnifying lens for magnifying the light flux;
A collimating lens for collimating the light beam; And
And a distance maintainer disposed between the magnifying lens and the collimating lens.
6. The method of claim 5,
The microchip laser module further includes an O-ring disposed at both ends,
Wherein the microchip laser module is fitted in the oscillator housing through the O-ring.
The method according to claim 6,
The light beam expanding module includes:
An enlarged lens retainer formed to enclose at least a part of the magnifying lens and fitted between the magnifying lens and the inside of the oscillator housing; And
Further comprising a collimator lens retainer formed to surround at least a part of the collimator lens and fitted to an end of the oscillator housing,
Wherein the light flux expanding module is disposed in the order of the magnifying lens, the distance maintaining device, and the collimating lens in accordance with a direction in which the laser is input from the microchip laser.
9. The method of claim 8,
The distance maintainer
A body portion having an outer diameter equal to an outer diameter of the enlarged lens retainer; And
And an engagement end protruding from the body portion and contacting the enlargement lens and having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the enlargement lens,
Wherein the enlarged lens retainer is formed so as to enclose the enlargement lens and the coupling end of the distance retainer together.

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