A solid-state laser active medium comprising an optical gain material; a heat sink, wherein the heat sink is transparent, in particular over a wavelength range of 200 nm to 4000 nm, preferably with an absorption coefficient of <1 cm.sup.−1; the heat sink having a high thermal conductivity, in particular ≧149 W/(m*K); wherein the optical gain material and the heat sink exhibit a root-mean square, RMS, surface roughness of <1 nm; wherein the optical gain material is attached to the transparent heat sink by direct bonding.

In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit light at one or more wavelengths between 1200 nm and 1400 nm. The lidar system also includes a scanner configured to scan the emitted light across a field of regard of the lidar system and a receiver configured to detect a portion of the emitted light scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system further includes a processor configured to determine the distance from the lidar system to the target based at least in part on a round-trip time for the portion of the emitted light to travel from the lidar system to the target and back to the lidar system.

The invention relates to a LASER amplification module for a solid-state laser system and method for manufacturing thereof. The present invention relates to a laser amplification module for a solid-state laser. More particularly, the present invention relates to the module amplifying laser beam capable to provide effective cooling of a heat sink bonded to a solid-state disk. The monolithic laser amplification module (1) comprises a solid-state disk (2); a monolithic composite (6) comprising a heat sink (3) and a reflecting coating (4) configured to at least partially reflect an incident beam (5) propagated in the solid-state disk (2) in a wavelength range λ from 200 nm-10 μm, wherein the reflecting coating (4) is deposited on surface of the heat sink by a deposition method, wherein the heat sink (3) has: transverse thermal conductivity at least 100 W/m*K, Young's modulus at least 100 GPa, preferably at least 300 GPa; and thickness of the heat sink at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm; and wherein the solid-state disk and the monolithic composite have surfaces (61 and 21) having PV-flatness<210 nm and have a surface roughness RMS<2 nm; and wherein the surfaces (21 and 61) of the solid-state disk (2) and the monolithic composite (6) are directly and permanently bonded together.

A multi-wavelength laser device equipped with a linear cavity along which a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction are defined is disclosed. The apparatus includes, along the first direction, a first optical component, a gain and Raman medium, a sum frequency generation crystal, a first second-harmonic generation crystal and a second optical component. The first optical component allows a pumping light to transmit therethrough and be incident in the first direction. The gain and Raman medium receives the pumping light from the first optical component and generates a first infrared base laser light having a first wavelength and a second infrared base laser light having a second wavelength. The first and second optical components form a laser cavity for oscillation of these two infrared base laser lights. The sum frequency generation crystal receives the first and second infrared base laser lights and generates a first visible laser light having a third wavelength. The first second-harmonic generation crystal receives the first infrared base laser light and generates a second visible laser light having a fourth wavelength. The second optical element allows the first and the second visible laser lights to emit out along the first direction.

Provided is a laser device capable of realizing the increased output and increased repeatability even when the surface roughness of the gain medium is large. The laser device includes: an excitation light source; a condensing optical system that condenses excitation light outputted from the excitation light source; a gain medium that receives the excitation light condensed by the condensing optical system and outputs emission light; a transparent member that has a smaller surface roughness than the gain medium and transmits the emission light outputted from the gain medium; a supersaturated absorber having a transmittance that increases as the emission light transmitted through the transparent member is absorbed; and a resonator that causes the emission light to resonate between the gain medium and the supersaturated absorber with the transparent member being interposed therebetween, wherein a dielectric multilayer film that reflects the excitation light and transmits the emission light is coated on the surface of the transparent member on the gain medium side.

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal is positioned to receive the pump light and generates pulsed laser light in response to the generated pump light that propagates to a breakdown region in a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma located at least partly in a CW plasma region in the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas and generates a detection signal. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

An optical amplifier comprises a gain medium having an input surface and an output surface wherein the output surface is larger than the input surface. The gain medium may be frustum shaped. The optical amplifier includes a negative diverging lens to receive an extraction laser beam and to cause the laser beam to expand as the beam passes through the gain medium. The amplifier further comprises a positive collimating lens configured to receive the expanding amplified beam and reduce the divergence. The gain medium can be pumped by counter-propagating radiation. The fluence of the laser beam within the gain medium is configured to be near constant along the length of the gain medium and may be within 1.5-2.0 F.sub.SAT. The gain medium may be doped with dopant to provide gain, with larger concentration of dopants proximal the input surface and smaller concentration proximal the output surface.

Systems and methods for imaging in the short wave infrared (SWIR), photodetectors with low dark current and associated circuits for reducing dark currents and methods for generating image information based on data of a photodetector array. A SWIR imaging system may include a pulsed illumination source operative to emit radiation pulses in the SWIR band towards a target resulting in reflected radiation from the target; (b) an imaging receiver including a plurality of Ge PDs operative to detect the reflected SWIR radiation and a controller, operative to control activation of the receiver for an integration time during which the accumulated dark current noise does not exceed the time independent readout noise.

A MOPA laser system that includes a seed laser configured to output pulsed laser light, an amplifier configured to receive and amplify the pulsed laser light emitted by the seed laser; and a pump laser configured to deliver a pump laser beam to both the seed laser and the amplifier and a variable attenuator configured to eliminate missing Q-switched pulses.

A laser device is provided that includes an element made of laser-active material and a cladding element bonded to the element so as to allow heat exchange by heat conduction between the cladding element and the element. The laser-active material emitting laser light when excited by pump light. The element being made of a glass. The cladding element being made of a material that exhibits an absorption coefficient for the pump light that is lower than a corresponding absorption coefficient of the glass. The element and cladding element being configured so that the pump light can be directed through the cladding element into the element and/or so that the pump light can be directed through the element into the cladding element.