Cooling device for solid state laser

Abstract

A solid state laser comprises a composite solid state laser gain element, The gain element comprises a undoped section and a doped section having a concentration of dopant ions for absorbing pumping radiation. The doped section is diffusion bonded to the undoped section to form an active region in the gain element, A cooling jacket conducts flowing coolant around the circumference of a portion of the gain element surrounding the active region.

I claim: 
     
       1. A cooling device for a solid state laser comprising a cooling jacket operably coupled to a composite solid state laser gain element having an undoped section and a doped section wherein said doped section has concentration of dopant ions for absorbing pumping radiation to form an active region in said gain element for conducting a flowing coolant around said active region of said gain element wherein said cooling jacket is arranged so that said pumping radiation does not pass through said coolant.   
     
     
       2. The cooling device of claim 1 wherein said doped section is diffusion bonded to said undoped section. 
     
     
       3. The cooling device of claim 1 wherein said coolant comprises water. 
     
     
       4. The cooling device of claim 1 further comprising a pumping source to provide said pumping radiation. 
     
     
       5. The cooling device of claim 4, wherein said pumping source comprises an array of laser diodes and focusing optics operably coupled to said laser diodes for concentrating radiation from said laser diodes onto said active region. 
     
     
       6. The cooling device of claim 1 wherein said undoped section comprises yttrium aluminum garnet and said doped section comprises neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet.