A pulsed third-harmonic laser system includes a pulsed laser, an extra-cavity nonlinear crystal, and an intracavity nonlinear crystal. The pulsed laser generates fundamental laser pulses and couples out a portion of each fundamental laser pulse out of the laser resonator to undergo second-harmonic-generation in the extra-cavity nonlinear crystal. Resulting second-harmonic laser pulses are directed back into the laser resonator and mixes with the fundamental laser pulses in the intracavity nonlinear crystal to generate third-harmonic laser pulses. The pulsed third-harmonic laser system thus maintains a non-zero output coupling efficiency regardless of the efficiency of the second-harmonic-generation stage, while the third-harmonic-generation stage benefits from the intracavity power of the fundamental laser pulses.

A flash lamp 32 excites a laser rod 31. A Q switch 35 which changes the loss of the optical resonator according to the voltage applied is inserted on the optical path of a pair of mirrors 33 and 34 forming the optical resonator. An optical path shutter 39 is provided on the optical path of laser emission light. In a first operation mode in which laser emission is performed, the optical path shutter 39 is opened and the voltage applied to the Q switch 35 is changed from a high voltage to, for example, 0 V to emit pulsed laser light after the flash lamp 32 excites the laser rod 31. In a second operation mode in which the laser emission is interrupted and waited for, the optical path shutter 39 is closed and the voltage applied to the Q switch 35 is, for example, 0 V.

A flash lamp 32 excites a laser rod 31. A Q switch 35 which changes the loss of the optical resonator according to the voltage applied is inserted on the optical path of a pair of mirrors 33 and 34 forming the optical resonator. An optical path shutter 39 is provided on the optical path of laser emission light. In a first operation mode in which laser emission is performed, the optical path shutter 39 is opened and the voltage applied to the Q switch 35 is changed from a high voltage to, for example, 0 V to emit pulsed laser light after the flash lamp 32 excites the laser rod 31. In a second operation mode in which the laser emission is interrupted and waited for, the optical path shutter 39 is closed and the voltage applied to the Q switch 35 is, for example, 0 V.

An example laser apparatus of the disclosure may include an oscillator capable of outputting a laser beam, a slab optical amplifier capable of amplifying the laser beam outputted by the oscillator by passing the laser beam through an optical amplification region shaped like a slab and outputting the amplified laser beam, and a mirror disposed on an optical path of the laser beam to enter the slab optical amplifier or the amplified laser beam outputted from the slab optical amplifier, the mirror being movable in a direction parallel to a plane where the laser beam travels in the slab optical amplifier.

Devices and methods for generating EUV light are disclosed. The device comprises an oscillator having an oscillator cavity length, L.sub.o, and defining an oscillator path and a multi-pass optical amplifier coupled with the oscillator to establish a combined optical cavity including the oscillator path, the combined cavity having a length, L.sub.combined, where L.sub.combined=(N+x)*L.sub.o, where “N” is an integer and “x” is a number between 0.4 and 0.6. The amplifier comprises a polarization discriminating optic inputting light traveling along a first beam path from the oscillator and having substantially a first linear polarization into the amplifier and outputting light having substantially a linear polarization orthogonal to the first polarization out of the amplifier along a second beam path.

A laser device includes: a first mirror and a second mirror that cause resonance of a plurality of beams having different wavelengths from one another; a diffraction grating that causes the beams that are incident from the first mirror with directions of beam central axes being different from one another to travel to the second mirror while aligning the beam central axes with one another, and causes the beams that are incident from the second mirror with the beam central axes being aligned with one another to travel to the first mirror while causing the directions of the beam central axes to be different from one another; and a housing unit housing a laser medium that is a medium through which the beams traveling between the first mirror and the diffraction grating pass, and has a discrete gain spectrum in which a peak occurs at each wavelength of the beams.

In a Q-switched solid-state laser having a resonator (3, 30) in the form of a linear resonator or a ring resonator having an active laser material (1) and at least one first and one second mirror (4, 5) and a resonator length (a) of less than 50 mm, preferably less than 25 mm, in the case of the configuration as a linear resonator and of less than 100 mm, preferably less than 50 mm, in the case of the configuration as a ring resonator, at least substantially only one longitudinal mode oscillates in the resonator (3). The resonator (3, 30) is in the form of an unstable resonator, with one of the mirrors (4, 5) being a gradient mirror.

In a Q-switched solid-state laser having a resonator (3, 30) in the form of a linear resonator or a ring resonator having an active laser material (1) and at least one first and one second mirror (4, 5) and a resonator length (a) of less than 50 mm, preferably less than 25 mm, in the case of the configuration as a linear resonator and of less than 100 mm, preferably less than 50 mm, in the case of the configuration as a ring resonator, at least substantially only one longitudinal mode oscillates in the resonator (3). The resonator (3, 30) is in the form of an unstable resonator, with one of the mirrors (4, 5) being a gradient mirror.

The present disclosure discloses an electro-optic Q-switching double-frequency double-pulse laser lithotripsy system. The system includes a total reflection mirror, an electro-optic Q-switching assembly, a drive circuit, a controller, a pump source, a gain medium, an output mirror, a first focusing mirror, a frequency doubling crystal, a second focusing mirror, a coupling lens and an output optical fiber; the electro-optic Q-switching assembly and the gain medium are located between the total reflection mirror and the output mirror; and the controller controls the pump source to work, and controls a voltage of the electro-optic Q-switching assembly by controlling the drive circuit, so that the system outputs a double-frequency laser beam with a pulse width of 1-1.5 μs or 200-300 μs.

The present disclosure discloses an electro-optic Q-switching double-frequency double-pulse laser lithotripsy system. The system includes a total reflection mirror, an electro-optic Q-switching assembly, a drive circuit, a controller, a pump source, a gain medium, an output mirror, a first focusing mirror, a frequency doubling crystal, a second focusing mirror, a coupling lens and an output optical fiber; the electro-optic Q-switching assembly and the gain medium are located between the total reflection mirror and the output mirror; and the controller controls the pump source to work, and controls a voltage of the electro-optic Q-switching assembly by controlling the drive circuit, so that the system outputs a double-frequency laser beam with a pulse width of 1-1.5 μs or 200-300 μs.