The light source contains a gas-filled chamber with a plasma sustained by a focused beam of a continuous wave laser. The means for plasma ignition is a solid-state laser system which generates two pulsed laser beams: in a free running mode and in a Q-switched mode. The solid-state laser system contains single active element and its optical cavity is equipped with a Q-switch overlapping only part of a cross section of the intracavity laser beam. One pulsed laser beam provides an optical breakdown after which another pulsed laser beam ignites the plasma, the volume and density of which are sufficient for stationary sustenance of the plasma by the focused beam of the continuous wave laser. EFFECT: simplification of the design of the light source, increase of its reliability and ease of use, creating on this basis of powerful electrode-free high-brightness broadband light sources with high spatial and energy stability.

An extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) generation system is configured to improve conversion efficiency of energy of a laser system to EUV energy by improving the efficiency of plasma generation. The EUV generation system includes a target generation unit configured to output a target toward a plasma generation region in a chamber. The laser system is configured to generate a first pre-pulse laser beam, a second pre-pulse laser beam, and a main pulse laser beam so that the target is irradiated with the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam in this order. In addition, the EUV generation system includes a controller configured to control the laser system so that a fluence of the second pre-pulse laser beam is equal to or higher than 1 J/cm.sup.2 and equal to or lower than a fluence of the main pulse laser beam.

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 microchip laser and a handpiece including the microchip laser. The microchip laser includes a laser medium with input and output facets. The input facet is coated with a highly reflective dielectric coating at microchip laser wavelength and highly transmissive at pump wavelength. The output facet is coated with a partially reflective at microchip laser wavelength dielectric coating. A saturable absorber attached by intermolecular forces to output facet of microchip laser. A handpiece for skin treatment includes the microchip laser.

A laser system may include one or more of the following components: a power supply, a continuous wave pump laser, a fiber optic cable, a positive lens, a gain medium, a heat sink, and/or a Q-switch. The laser system may be used in a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system such as a scanning LIDAR system. The laser system may be designed to operate at wavelengths that may be safe for human eyes.

A laser system may include one or more of the following components: a power supply, a continuous wave pump laser, a fiber optic cable, a positive lens, a gain medium, a heat sink, and/or a Q-switch. The laser system may be used in a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system such as a scanning LIDAR system. The laser system may be designed to operate at wavelengths that may be safe for human eyes.

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.

A fiber laser oscillator comprises an active fiber for providing a lasing light having a selected wavelength band, a saturable absorber assembly coupled to a first end of the active fiber, a pump source for providing a pump light having wavelengths except the selected wavelength band, an optical component coupled to the second end of the active fiber and the pump source. The optical component comprises a thin film filter for transmitting the lasing light for a first time and reflecting the pump light and a reflector for reflecting the lasing light transmitted for the first time through the thin film filter. The lasing light reflected by the reflector transmits through the thin film filter for a second time and overlaps with the pump light reflected by the thin film filter.

An extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) generation system is configured to improve conversion efficiency of energy of a laser system to EUV energy by improving the efficiency of plasma generation. The EUV generation system includes a target generation unit configured to output a target toward a plasma generation region in a chamber. The laser system is configured to generate a first pre-pulse laser beam, a second pre-pulse laser beam, and a main pulse laser beam so that the target is irradiated with the first pre-pulse laser beam, the second pre-pulse laser beam, and the main pulse laser beam in this order. In addition, the EUV generation system includes a controller configured to control the laser system so that a fluence of the second pre-pulse laser beam is equal to or higher than 1 J/cm.sup.2 and equal to or lower than a fluence of the main pulse laser beam.

A highly efficient laser ignition device is provided. The highly efficient laser ignition device fundamentally includes: a pumping light source adopting a multi-chip single emitter-packaged optical fiber output laser diode; a laser medium to which ytterbium is added; and a saturated absorber as a passive Q-switch medium, wherein a pulse of 100-999 ps as the passive Q-switch laser output can be obtained. According to the disclosed, the problems of high cost/low efficiency/low reliance/non-uniformity, which are disadvantages for replacing an ignition device using an electric spark with a laser ignition device, can be solved.