Reducing the Pulse Repetition Frequency of a Pulsed Laser System

    公开(公告)号:US20180041001A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-02-08

    申请号:US15555409

    申请日:2016-03-02

    IPC分类号: H01S3/00 G02F1/11 H01S3/13

    摘要: The invention relates to a method for generating a laser pulse train, comprising the following method steps: generating the laser pulse train (4a) at a pulse repetition frequency; coupling the laser pulse train (4a) into an acousto-optical modulator, and selecting individual laser pulses of the laser pulse train (4a) by driving the acousto-optical modulator with high-frequency pulses (4h), wherein the high-frequency pulses (4h) are generated by modulating a high-frequency carrier signal (4f) with a periodic switching signal (4e). In addition, the invention relates to a system for generating a laser pulse train, comprising a pulsed laser (1), which generates the laser pulse train at a pulse repetition frequency, and an acousto-optical modulator (2), in which the laser pulses propagate, and comprising a control device (7), which drives the acousto-optical modulator (2) with high-frequency pulses for the purpose of selecting individual laser pulses. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method for selecting individual laser pulses from a laser pulse train. The intensity noise known from the prior art is intended to be reduced. The invention achieves this object by virtue of the fact that the following holds true for the frequency fHF of the carrier signal (4f) of the high-frequency pulses (4h): fHF=n/p·fPRF, wherein n is an arbitrary natural number and p indicates the integral ratio between the pulse repetition frequency and the frequency of the switching signal (4e), and wherein the carrier signal (4f) is coupled to the laser pulse train (4a) in a phase-stable manner.