Claims
- 1. A crystal boule from which a plurality of solid state lasers are manufactured, said crystal boule comprising:a first end segment being grown from a non-laser active material; and a laser-active segment being made of a first material, said laser-active segment having a first end and a second end, the first end of said laser-active segment being grown to be integrally attached to said non-laser active first end segment during manufacture of said crystal boule; wherein said crystal boule is cut and polished to produce said plurality of solid state laser crystals.
- 2. The crystal boule of claim 1 further comprising:a second end segment being grown from a non-laser active material; the second end of said laser-active segment being grown to be integrally attached to said non-laser active second end segment during manufacture of said crystal boule, wherein said crystal boule is cut and polished to produce a plurality of solid state laser crystals that have said three segments.
- 3. The crystal boule of claim 2 wherein the interface between said first end segment and said laser-active segment is planar, and the interface between said second end segment and said laser-active segment is planar.
- 4. The crystal boule of claim 3 wherein said first end segment and said second end segment are grown from the same material.
- 5. The crystal boule of claim 4 wherein said laser-active segment comprises the same material as said first end segment and said second end segment, but said material used to grow said laser-active segment is doped with an active laser ion that will cause it to lase when pumped by a proper energy source.
- 6. The crystal boule of claim 1 wherein the interface between said first end segment and said laser-active segment is planar.
- 7. The crystal boule of claim 6 wherein said laser-active segment comprises the same material as said first end segment, but said material is doped with an ion that will cause said laser active segment to lase when pumped by a proper energy source.
- 8. A method for growing a crystal boule from which a plurality of solid state laser are manufactured comprising the steps of:growing a first end segment of the crystal boule from a non-laser active first material; and growing a laser active segment of the crystal boule from a second material, said laser active segment having a first end and a second end and said first end being integrally attached to said first end segment, said second material being doped with an ion that will cause said laser active segment to lase when pumped by a proper energy source.
- 9. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 8 further comprising the step of:growing a second end segment of the crystal boule from a non-laser active third material, said second end segment being integrally attached to said second end of said laser active segment.
- 10. A method for growing a crystal boule from a crystal seed comprising the steps of:inserting the crystal seed into a first melt having a non-laser active material; withdrawing the crystal seed from said first melt until a non-laser active first end segment has been grown; transferring said crystal boule from said first melt into a second melt having a laser active material; and withdrawing said crystal boule from said second melt until a laser active segment of said boule has been grown, said laser active segment having a first end that is grown to said first end segment and a second end.
- 11. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 10 further comprising the steps of:transferring said crystal boule from said second melt into said first melt; and withdrawing the second end of said laser active segment of said crystal boule from said first melt until a non-laser active second end segment has been grown from said second end of said laser active segment.
- 12. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 11, wherein said step of withdrawing said crystal boule from said second melt until a laser active segment of said boule has been grown comprises the steps of:raising the temperature of said second melt from a first temperature used for growing said crystal boule to a second temperature before the step of transferring said crystal boule from said first melt into said second melt; holding said first end segment of said crystal boule in contact with said second melt at said second temperature long enough to melt a small amount of the surface of said first end segment that is in contact with said second melt; lowering the temperature of said second melt to said first temperature; and withdrawing said crystal boule from said second melt to grow said laser active segment of said crystal boule onto said first end segment.
- 13. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 12 wherein said step of withdrawing the second end of said laser active segment of said crystal boule from said first melt comprises the steps of:raising the temperature of said first melt from said first temperature used for growing said crystal boule to said second temperature before the step of transferring said crystal boule from said second melt into said first melt; holding said second end of said laser active segment of said crystal boule in contact with said first melt at said second temperature long enough to melt a small amount of the surface of said second end of said laser active segment of said crystal boule; and lowering the temperature of said first melt to said first temperature; and withdrawing said crystal boule from said first melt to grow said non-laser active second end segment of said crystal boule.
- 14. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 13 wherein the interface between said first end segment and said laser-active segment of said boule is planar, and the interface between said second end segment and said laser-active segment of said boule is planar.
- 15. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 10, wherein said step of withdrawing said crystal boule from said second melt until a laser active segment of said boule has been grown comprises the steps of:raising the temperature of said second melt from a first temperature used for growing said crystal boule to a second temperature before the step of transferring said crystal boule from said first melt into said second melt; holding said first end segment of said crystal boule in contact with said second melt at said second temperature long enough to melt a small amount of the surface of said first end segment that is in contact with said second melt; lowering the temperature of said second melt to said first temperature; and withdrawing said crystal boule from said second melt to grow said laser active segment of said crystal boule onto said first end segment.
- 16. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 13 wherein the interface between said first end segment and said laser-active segment of said boule is planar.
- 17. The method for growing a crystal boule in accordance with claim 16 wherein said laser active segment comprises the same material as said first end segment, but said material is doped with an ion that will cause said laser active segment to lase when pumped by a proper energy source.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority under Provisional Application No. 60/199,804, filed on Apr. 24, 2000. This also is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/593,994, filed on Jul. 14, 2000 abandoned.
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Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/199804 |
Apr 2000 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/593994 |
Jun 2000 |
US |
Child |
10/200666 |
|
US |