JPH1126840A - Laser device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the mounting space of a laser device by integrally constituting the laser oscillator and amplifier of the device by constituting the amplifier in a laser cavity in such a state that front- and rear-side reflecting means are faced oppositely to each other so that the amplifier may amplify a laser beam by reflecting the beam by the reflecting means a plurality of number of times. SOLUTION: A laser oscillator 5 and an amplifier 6 which amplifies the laser beam L outputted from the oscillator 5 are integrally provided in a cylindrical cavity formed in a discharge tube 2. In the tube 2, annular front and rear mounts 7 and 8 are faced oppositely to each other with a prescribed distance in between while the mounts 7 and 8 are directed perpendicularly to the axis of the tube 2. A front-side reflecting means 70 is constituted by forming reflecting mirrors M1-M9 and a through hole 7a on and through the mount 7 and a rear-side reflecting means 80 is constituted by forming reflecting mirrors M1'-M9' and a through hole 8a on and through the mount 8. The laser beam L is amplified while the beam L is successively and alternately reflected by the mirrors M1-M9 and M1'-M9' of the reflecting means 70 and 80 and, finally radiated to the outside from the discharge tube 2 through the through hole 8a and a window 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser device, and more particularly, to a laser device having a laser oscillator and an amplifier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a laser device provided with a laser oscillator for oscillating a laser beam and an amplifier for amplifying the laser beam oscillated therefrom is known. In such a conventional apparatus, the laser oscillator includes a front mirror and a rear mirror in a discharge tube in which gas is interposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-290684). Then, the laser beam excited in the discharge tube is reflected and amplified by the two mirrors, then transmitted through the front mirror, and emitted to the outside of the discharge tube. The output of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator in this way is further amplified by an amplifier.

[0003]

By the way, as described above, the conventional laser device has a drawback that the laser oscillator and the amplifier are separately provided, so that the installation space of the entire device becomes large.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a laser oscillator having a front mirror and a rear mirror arranged in a laser cavity so as to face each other.
A laser device comprising an amplifier for amplifying the output of a laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator, wherein the laser device surrounds an imaginary straight line connecting the axes of the front mirror and the rear mirror and faces each other at a predetermined distance. A front-side reflection unit and a rear-side reflection unit are provided in the laser cavity, the front-side reflection unit and the rear-side reflection unit constitute the amplifier, and a laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator is transmitted to the front-side reflection unit. It is configured such that the light is alternately reflected a plurality of times by the reflecting means and the rear-side reflecting means and amplified.

[0005]

According to this structure, since the laser oscillator and the amplifier are substantially integrated, the installation space of the laser device is smaller than in the conventional case where the laser oscillator and the amplifier are provided separately. Can be reduced.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a so-called axial flow type gas laser device, and this laser device 1 comprises a discharge tube 2 as a laser cavity formed in a cylindrical shape. It has. Discharge tube 2
, A front mirror 3 and a rear mirror 4 are provided at both ends in the axial direction so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the discharge tube 2 and face each other. The axis of the discharge tube 2 and the axes of the two mirrors 3 and 4 are aligned. Also, the discharge tube 2 includes
A supply passage (not shown) for supplying gas into the inside and a collection passage (not shown) for collecting gas from the discharge tube 2 are connected, so that the gas always flows in the discharge tube 2 in its axial direction. It is configured to be. Further, an anode and a cathode (not shown) are provided on the axial center of the discharge tube 2 at a position between the front mirror 3 and the rear mirror 4. Can be taken out. The laser beam L produced by the oscillator in this way is reflected and amplified by the front mirror 3 and the rear mirror 4 and passes through the front mirror 3 to the outside (right side).
It is radiated toward. In this embodiment,
The laser oscillator 5 is constituted by the front mirror 3, the rear mirror 4, and the above-mentioned electrodes. The configuration described above is not different from that of a conventionally known laser oscillator.

In this embodiment, not only the laser oscillator 5 is provided in the discharge tube 2 but also an amplifier 6 for amplifying the output of the laser beam L is provided in the discharge tube 2. is there. That is, an annular front mount 7 is disposed at a position from the axial center of the discharge tube 2 with respect to the front mirror 3 so as to surround the axis of the discharge tube 2 and on the same plane perpendicular to the axis. I have. Further, an annular rear mount 8 is disposed at a position from the axial center of the discharge tube 2 with respect to the rear mirror 4 so as to surround the axis of the discharge tube 2 and on the same plane perpendicular to the axis. . As a result, the front mount 7 and the rear mount 8 face each other at a predetermined distance, and the front mirror 3 and the rear mirror 4 face each other through the through holes in the shaft portions of the mounts 7 and 8. doing. Nine reflection mirrors M1 to M are provided along the circumferential direction on the end face of the front mount 7 facing the rear side.
9 is provided, and a circular through hole 7a is formed between the adjacent reflection mirrors M1 and M9. On the other hand, nine reflection mirrors M1 ′ to M9 ′ are provided on the end face of the rear mount 8 facing the front side along the circumferential direction so as to face the reflection mirrors M1 to M9 on the front mount 7 side. Provided. Further, a circular through hole 8a is formed between the adjacent reflection mirror M1 'and reflection mirror M9' in the rear mount 8. In this embodiment, the front-side reflection means 70 is provided by the front mount 7 and the reflection mirrors M1 to M9 provided thereon.
, And the rear-side reflection means 80 is constituted by the rear mount 8 and the reflection mirrors M1 'to M9' provided thereon.

Further, a first bend mirror 11 inclined at a predetermined angle is provided at a position outside and near the front mirror 3 in the discharge tube 2 and on the axis of the discharge tube. Above the one bend mirror 11, a second bend mirror 12 inclined by a predetermined angle is provided. In the present embodiment, the laser beam L transmitted through the front mirror 3 constituting the laser oscillator 5 and emitted outward (to the right) is sequentially emitted by the first bend mirror 11 and the second bend mirror 12. After being bent, the light passes through the through hole 7a of the front mount 7 and is reflected toward the reflection mirror M1 'on the rear mount 8 side. In this embodiment, the two bend mirrors 11 and 12 constitute a laser beam turning means for returning the laser beam from the oscillator in the discharge unit to the discharge unit again. After this,
The laser beam L is reflected by the reflection mirror M1 'toward the reflection mirror M1 of the front mount 7, and then reflected by the reflection mirror M1 on the rear mount 8 side.
Reflected towards 2 '. In this embodiment, when the laser beam L is guided to the reflection mirror M1 'of the rear mount 8 via both the bend mirrors 11 and 12 in this manner,
Then, the reflection mirrors M1-M9 on the front mount 7 side
And a reflection mirror M on the rear mount 8 side facing the mirror M
By 2′-M9 ′, the light is alternately reflected and amplified successively toward the rear side and the front side along the circumferential direction of the discharge tube 2. The laser beam L reflected and amplified by the reflecting mirrors provided on the mounts 7 and 8 alternately in this manner is finally reflected by the reflecting mirror M9 on the front mount 7 side, so that the laser beam L is rearranged. After passing through the through hole 8 a of the mount 8, the light passes through a window 13 provided on the end face of the discharge tube 2 and is radiated to the outside of the discharge tube 2. As can be understood from the above description, in the present embodiment, the amplifier 6 for amplifying the output of the laser beam L is constituted by the front-side reflecting means 70 and the rear-side reflecting means 80. The connecting structures of the mounts 7 and 8 and the reflection mirrors (M1-M9, M1'-M9 ') provided on them are the same as those disclosed in JP-A-5-82859. Description of the connection structure is omitted.

As described above, in this embodiment, the discharge tube 2
, A laser oscillator 5 is disposed therein, and at the same time, an amplifier 6 is disposed substantially integrally therewith. Therefore, as compared with the related art in which the laser oscillator 5 and the amplifier 6 are separately provided, the present embodiment can reduce the installation space of the laser device 1. Further, in the present embodiment, the laser beam obtained by the two mirrors 3 and 4 constituting the laser oscillator 5 is guided to the large-capacity discharge portion, so that the laser beam L having a high output efficiency and a good mode can be produced. . Further, according to the present embodiment, since the axes of the laser oscillator 5 and the amplifier 6 coincide with each other, the mirrors 3 and 4 constituting the laser oscillator 5 and the reflection mirrors (M
1-M9, M1'-M9 ') can be easily performed. Further, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to efficiently create a mode of the laser beam L suitable for a processing application.

(Second Embodiment) Next, FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
It shows an example. In the second embodiment, both the bend mirrors 11 and 1 in the vertical position in the first embodiment are arranged.
Instead of 2, a single corner mirror 21 is used to bend the laser beam L. That is, in this embodiment, the corner mirror 21 constitutes the laser beam turning means. Further, in the second embodiment, the rear mirror 4 is provided in a through hole in a shaft portion of the rear mount 8. Further, in this embodiment, the rear mount 8 is fixedly provided at a predetermined position, while the front mount 7 is configured to be movable in the axial direction of the discharge tube 2. The corner mirror 21 is also configured to be movable along the axis of the discharge tube 2. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. With the configuration of the second embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, a single reflecting mirror 7 having a concave surface constitutes a front reflecting means 70, and a single reflecting mirror 8 having a concave surface constitutes a rear reflecting means 80. The concave surfaces of the reflection mirrors 7 and 8 are arranged so as to face each other. Through-holes are provided in the shaft portions of the reflection mirrors 7 and 8, and the front mirror 3 and the rear mirror 4 face each other through the through-holes. In other words, the reflection mirrors 7 and 8
It is arranged so as to surround an imaginary straight line connecting the axes of the front mirror 3 and the rear mirror 4 and to be orthogonal to the imaginary straight line. Further, through holes 7 through which the laser beam L passes are provided at predetermined positions from the outer peripheral portions of the reflection mirrors 7 and 8.
a, 8a are drilled. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Also in the third embodiment having such a configuration, the laser beam L is first guided to the reflecting mirror 8 constituting the rear-side reflecting means 80 and reflected by the bend mirrors 11 and 12, and thereafter, is reflected by the front-side reflecting means. The light is reflected by the front mirror 3 constituting 70. The output of the laser beam L is amplified by being alternately reflected by the reflecting mirrors 7 and 8 a plurality of times. Even in the third embodiment having such a configuration, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
It shows an example. In the fourth embodiment, instead of the front mount 7 and the plurality of reflection mirrors provided in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a single concave reflection mirror 7 having a through hole in the shaft portion is provided. I have. Further, instead of the rear mount 8 and the plurality of reflection mirrors provided thereon in the second embodiment, a single reflection mirror 8 having a concave surface is provided. The concave surface of the reflection mirror 8 and the reflection mirror 7 are opposed to each other. In this embodiment, the reflection mirror 8 also serves as the rear mirror 4. In other words,
A portion of the rear mirror 4 on the radially outer side facing the reflection mirror 7 constitutes a rear reflection means 80. The other configuration is the same as that of the second embodiment. According to the fourth embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained. Moreover, in the fourth embodiment, since the rear mirror 4 including the concave reflecting mirror 8 also serves as the rear reflecting means 80,
The configuration can be further simplified as compared with the above-described embodiments.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to an axial flow type laser device for flowing gas in the axial direction in the discharge tube 2 as a laser cavity has been described.
The present invention can also be applied to a laser device in which gas flows from a direction intersecting a virtual straight line connecting the axes of the mirrors 3 and 4. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the gas laser in which the gas is interposed in the discharge tube 2 has been described, but the present invention described above can be applied to a so-called solid laser.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, the effect that the installation space of the laser device can be reduced as compared with the related art can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 laser device 2 discharge tube (laser cavity) 3 front mirror 4 rear mirror 5 laser oscillator 6 amplifier 70 front-side reflecting means 80 front-side reflecting means L laser beam

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A laser device comprising: a laser oscillator having a front mirror and a rear mirror arranged to face each other in a laser cavity; and an amplifier for amplifying an output of a laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator. A front reflecting means and a rear reflecting means are provided in the laser cavity so as to surround an imaginary straight line connecting the axes of the rear mirrors and to face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween; The side reflection means constitutes the amplifier, and the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator is alternately reflected a plurality of times by the front side reflection means and the rear side reflection means and amplified. Laser device. 2. The laser cavity comprises a cylindrical discharge tube, the front mirror and the rear mirror are provided at both ends of the discharge tube, and the imaginary straight line is the axis of the discharge tube. The front-side reflecting means comprises an annular front mount and a plurality of reflecting mirrors provided in a circumferential direction thereof. Further, the rear-side reflecting means is provided in an annular rear mount and a circumferential direction thereof and is provided on the front mount side. 2. The laser device according to claim 1, comprising a reflection mirror and a plurality of reflection mirrors facing each other. 3. The laser device according to claim 2, wherein said rear mirror is disposed on a shaft portion of said rear mount. 4. The front-side reflecting means comprises a concave reflecting mirror having a through-hole in a shaft, and the rear-side reflecting means comprises a concave reflecting mirror having a through-hole in a shaft. 2. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the reflection mirrors are arranged with the concave surfaces facing each other. 5. The front-side reflecting means comprises a concave reflecting mirror having a through hole in a shaft portion, and the rear mirror comprises a concave-reflecting mirror facing the front-side reflecting means. 2. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein said rear-side reflecting means is constituted by a portion facing said front-side reflecting means.