Low distortion window for use with high energy lasers

• Main Author: BLUEGE; JOHN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.06.1991
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A window for use with high energy laser (HEL) systems utilizes a combination of window and cooled mirror technologies. The present window is adapted to receive an elongated focus beam at one or more adjacent diamond plates. The plates are positioned in base members by peripheral edges thereof. Heat generated by the absorption of radiation from the beam is transferred directly to heat exchangers in the base members through the peripheral edges. The geometry of the window ensures that heat transfer is bidirectional. The very short distance the heat must travel results in a very small rise in temperature of the window with a correspondingly small amount of optical distortion.