Laser having a substantially planar waveguide

Patent · Tue Dec 13 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6414963

Vojak, B A; Sheem, S K

This patent describes a laser comprising an optical cavity which contains an active medium and a substantially planar waveguide to substantially confine the laser light within a plane, wherein the waveguide is comprised of both high-gain and low-gain regions of the active medium, the improvement which comprises a waveguide which is comprised of varying combinations of the high-gain and low-gain regions along the direction of laser light propagation so that the cumulative gain from one end of the optical cavity to the other varies as a function of position along a line within the plane of the waveguide which is perpendicular to the direction of light propagation, wherein the variation is not periodic in an identically repetitive manner, and wherein the variation is effective to cause some of the lateral modes of the optical cavity to experience a relatively higher gain than the rest of the lateral modes of the optical cavity.

• Assignee: Amoco Corp., Chicago, IL
• Patent Number(s): US 4791648
• OSTI ID: 6414963
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
DESIGN
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GAIN
LASER CAVITIES
LASER MATERIALS
LASERS
MATERIALS
OPERATION
OPTICAL SYSTEMS
RADIATIONS
VISIBLE RADIATION
WAVEGUIDES