Mirror failure detector for high power lasers

• Main Authors: ZAMEL, JAMES M, TINTI, ROBERT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 29.09.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRICITY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MACHINE TOOLS; MEASURING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A detector 50 is included in a laser apparatus for generating a high energy laser beam to protect against the uncontrolled escape of the high energy laser beam from its prescribed optical path 40. The high energy laser beam proceeds along the optical path 40 and is directed to a work site 44 by a series of reflective surfaces in its path 26 and 30. The series of reflective surfaces function to change the path 14 of the beam 32 from the generating source to the work station 44. Associated with each of the reflective surfaces is a detector 50 which comprises a conductive frame 51 having a front face 52 and a back face 54. The back face 54 is equipped with a thermal sensor 60 which is positioned in a base portion 64 of the heat conductive frame 51. The detector is equipped with cooling means 58 and 66 for maintaining the threshold temperature. The sensor 60 which is affixed to the base portion 64 having a controlled thickness is preset at a threshold temperature such that in the event the reflective surfaces 26 or 30 breaks or otherwise fails permitting the beam 34 to strike the heat conductive frame 51 it would cause sudden rise in temperature of the sensor which would trigger the control circuit 69 to shut down the power supply 92 that energizes the high energy gain module 12.