Inventors:
Ralph L. Burnham - Reston VA
Jeffrey J. Kasinski - Fairfax VA
Larry R. Marshall - Reston VA
Assignee:
Fibertek, Inc. - Herndon VA
International Classification:
H01S 310
Abstract:
An eye-safe laser operating at high efficiency, pulse repetition rate and power output is described. The laser comprises a diode-array pumped laser having a pumping wavelength range which produces a polarized output beam. The output beam passes through a nonlinear tunable parametric converter crystal having X, Y, and Z principal axes. Noncritical phase matching is produced in said laser by phase matching for a beam propagation parallel to a principal axis which results in a high efficiency of laser operation. The nonlinear tunable parametric converter crystal converts the wavelength of an otherwise unsafe laser beam output to one that is harmlessly absorbed by the human eye.