JP3065643B2 - Laser amplification system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a laser amplification system having an oscillation laser device and an amplification laser device connected in series, and more particularly, to a laser amplification system. The present invention relates to a laser amplification system capable of reducing the loss ratio of laser light, increasing oscillation efficiency, and improving operability and safety during operation.

(Prior Art) A laser amplification system configured to connect an oscillation laser device and a plurality of amplification laser devices in the axial direction to obtain an amplified laser beam includes an energy development field, a laser processing field, and a laser processing field. Are widely used in a wide range of technical fields such as the semiconductor manufacturing field. In recent years, practical use of a copper vapor laser amplification system in a uranium fuel enrichment process using laser light has been promoted.

A conventional laser amplification system used in a uranium fuel enrichment step or the like includes, for example, a laser light oscillation laser device 1 and a laser light oscillation laser device 1 as shown in FIG.
And two laser devices 2a and 2b for amplifying laser light arranged so that the optical axes coincide with each other.

The individual laser devices 1, 2a, 2b are, as shown in FIG.
Laser oscillation tube 4 and circuit system 5 mounted on gantry 3, protective cover 6 surrounding laser oscillation tube 4 and circuit system 5, drive power supply 7 and laser medium supply / exhaust device provided inside gantry 3 8

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each of the adjacent laser devices 1, 2a, 2
A pair of reflection mirrors 9 for adjusting the optical axis are arranged between the stages of b. The reflecting mirror 9 is configured rotatably in the optical path as shown in FIG. 6, by changing the pivot angle, the laser beam reflected with the light l ₁ incident
It is configured to adjust the position of the optical axis of the l _2. Further, laser resonator mirrors 9 are provided at both ends of the laser device 1 for laser light oscillation.

When the driving power supply 7 of the oscillation laser device 1 is turned on, the laser medium is supplied from the laser medium supply / exhaust device 8 into the laser oscillation tube 4, and is generated and amplified from light of a specific wavelength by stimulated emission. The amplified light is further transmitted to the laser device 1
The laser light is amplified as laser light (reference beam) 10 by repeating reciprocal reflection on laser resonator mirrors 9 and 9 arranged at both ends of the laser light. After the oscillated laser beam 10 is adjusted in optical axis position by the reflection mirror 9, the laser beam 10 sequentially enters the amplification laser devices 2a and 2b, where it is further amplified, and finally amplified laser light (from the amplification laser device 2b). It is output as an amplified beam (11).

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, in the conventional laser amplification system,
Since a reflection mirror for adjusting the optical axis position of the laser light between the respective stages of the adjacent laser devices is provided, there is a disadvantage that the loss of the laser light is increased. That is, several percent of the entire laser beam received on the surface of the reflecting mirror
Is lost due to irregular reflection and absorption, so that the amount of the above-mentioned loss also increases particularly on the output side of the amplification laser device at the subsequent stage, where the laser light is amplified in multiple stages and the beam intensity is increased. This increase in loss inevitably causes a reduction in system efficiency and causes damage to the reflection mirror, and there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain high-output laser light because the number of amplification stages is limited.

On the other hand, in order to adjust the position of each optical axis of the laser devices connected in series, all the laser devices must be started and a high-intensity beam must be oscillated. Therefore, it is necessary to equip the operator with a complicated handling mechanism to remotely control the reflecting mirror arranged in the optical path in order to ensure safety when handling high-intensity beams, and the manufacturing cost of the system is reduced. There was a disadvantage of increasing.

Furthermore, since the components of each laser device connected in series are all arranged in a state of being fixedly fixed to a gantry, etc., even if a failure occurs in a part of the laser device,
It is necessary to repair at the site where the laser device is installed,
Further, during repair, it is necessary to completely stop the operation of all the systems, and there is a problem that the operation efficiency of the system is easily reduced.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and eliminates the loss of laser light due to an optical system such as a reflecting mirror, can achieve high system efficiency, and greatly enhances operability and safety. It is an object to provide a laser amplification system.

[Configuration of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a laser amplification system according to the present invention uses a laser device for laser oscillation and a plurality of laser devices for laser amplification on the optical axis of laser oscillation light. In the laser amplification system connected to the gantry along, while each of the laser devices is detachably arranged on the gantry,
A position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the horizontal position and the height position of each laser device is provided between the laser device and the gantry.
The units are arranged at intervals in the optical axis direction of the laser oscillation light.

Further, the laser device for laser light oscillation may be provided with a laser device for optical axis adjustment that oscillates a small output laser beam used for adjusting the optical axis position.

(Operation) According to the laser amplification system according to the above configuration, each laser device is configured as a unit in which the laser oscillation tube and the accessory are integrally housed in a package, and has a structure that is detachably mounted on a gantry. Therefore, when a device or the like breaks down, a unit incorporating the device or the like can be removed from the gantry and quickly replaced with a spare unit. Therefore, the operation stop time of the system is short, and the operation management of the system becomes extremely easy.

In addition, since a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the horizontal position and height position of each unit is provided, the optical axis position of the laser oscillation tube in each unit can be adjusted without using a conventional reflection mirror. Will be possible. Therefore, there is no loss due to irregular reflection or absorption of the laser light in the reflection mirror, and the oscillation efficiency of the laser light can be greatly improved.

Further, by providing an optical axis adjusting laser device that oscillates a small output laser beam, the optical axis of each laser device can be adjusted in advance with a small output laser beam before starting the main operation. In other words, since the laser beam with high intensity used in the conventional operation is not handled as in the past, the operability and safety of the system can be greatly improved, and more complicated protective equipment is not required. The overall configuration of the system can be greatly simplified.

(Example) Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing one embodiment of a laser amplification system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of each laser device. Note that the same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

That is, the laser amplification system according to the present embodiment is a laser amplification system in which the laser light oscillation laser device 1 and the two laser light amplification laser devices 2a and 2b are connected on the gantry 3 along the optical axis. Each of the above laser devices 1, 2a, 2b
The laser oscillation tube 4 and accessories such as the circuit system 5 are integrally configured as units 13a, 13b, and 13c in a package 12, and the units 13a, 13b, and 13c are removably disposed on the gantry 3. On the other hand, each unit 13a, 13b, 13c is provided with a position adjusting mechanism 14 for adjusting the horizontal position and the height position of each unit 13a, 13b, 13c.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the laser devices 1, 2a, 2b are units 13a, 13b in which accessories such as a laser oscillation tube 4 and a circuit system 5 are integrally accommodated in a package 12 also serving as a protective cover. , 13c supported on a gantry 3.
Each unit 13a, 13b, 13c is detachably arranged on the gantry 3, and two position adjusting mechanisms 14 for adjusting the unit positions are provided between the gantry 3 and each of the units 13a, 13b, 13c. Is done. A drive power supply 7 and a laser medium supply / exhaust device 8 are provided in a lower portion of the gantry 3.

The position adjusting mechanism 14 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
A lift plate 16 which is disposed on the top
And a horizontal plate 19 which is fitted in the groove 17 formed in the horizontal direction and is movably arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the optical axis 18.
The horizontal position and the height position of the units 13a, 13b, 13c placed on the horizontal plate 19 are adjusted by the moving amount of the horizontal plate 19 and the moving amount of the lifting plate 16, respectively, and can be fixed at an arbitrary position. It is configured as follows.

As shown in FIG. 1, a laser resonance base mirror 9 is disposed at each end of the laser device 1 for laser light oscillation, while a small output used for adjusting the optical axis position is provided on the left optical axis. Optical axis adjusting laser device 21 that oscillates laser light 20
Are provided in a preliminary manner. As the optical axis adjusting laser device 21, a small laser device that oscillates a laser beam having a relatively small output, such as a He-Ne laser device, is employed.

When operating the laser amplification system according to the present embodiment, first, the optical axis adjusting laser device 21 is driven to oscillate the small output laser beam 20, and the small output laser beam 20 is emitted from each unit 13a, 13b, 13c. The position of the optical axis is adjusted so as not to interfere with the internal structure inside the laser oscillation tube 4 inside and cause a beam loss. This optical axis adjustment is performed by operating the position adjustment mechanism 14 provided below each of the units 13a, 13b, 13c. That is, the horizontal optical axis position is adjusted by moving the horizontal plate 19 of the position adjusting mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 3, while the vertical optical axis position is adjusted by moving the elevating plate 16 up and down.

After the optical axis adjustment is completed, each of the laser devices 1, 2a, 2
b is activated to oscillate predetermined high intensity laser beams 10 and 11. The above-mentioned position adjustment mechanism is also used for fine adjustment of the optical axis during operation.
Perform at any time with 14. And when the equipment constituting the system fails, the units 13a, 13b,
13c is removed from the gantry 3, and a spare unit is mounted on the gantry.

As described above, according to the laser amplification system according to the present embodiment, each of the laser devices 1, 2 a, and 2 b includes the unit 13 a, in which the laser oscillation tube 4 and the accessory device are integrally accommodated in the package 12.
13b, 13c, and has a structure that is removably arranged on the gantry 3 so that if a device or the like breaks down, the units 13a, 13b, and 13c containing the device and the like are removed from the gantry 3 and prepared in advance. It is possible to quickly replace the spare unit with a new one. Therefore, the operation stop time of the system is short, and the operation management of the system becomes extremely easy.

In addition, since the position adjusting mechanism 14 for adjusting the horizontal position and the height position of each unit 13a, 13b, 13c is provided, the optical axis position of the laser oscillation tube 4 in each unit 13a, 13b, 13c can be changed. Can be adjusted without using the reflection mirror 9 (FIG. 4). Therefore, there is no loss due to irregular reflection or absorption of light at the reflection mirror, and the oscillation efficiency of laser light can be greatly improved.

Further, by providing an optical axis adjusting laser device 21 that oscillates a small output laser beam 20, it is possible to adjust the optical axis of each of the laser devices 13a, 13b, 13c with the small output laser beam 20 before starting the main operation. Can be. In other words, since the laser beams 10, 11 with high intensity used in the main operation as in the conventional operation are not handled, the operability and safety of the system can be greatly improved, and more complicated protective equipment can be provided. This is unnecessary, and the overall configuration of the system can be greatly simplified.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the laser amplification system according to the present invention, the laser device for laser light oscillation and the laser device for laser light amplification are removably arranged on the gantry, so that the laser oscillation tube and attached devices and the like are provided. If is broken,
Remove the laser device with the built-in equipment from the gantry,
It is possible to quickly replace a spare laser device.
Therefore, the operation stop time of the laser amplification system is short, and the operation management of the system becomes extremely easy.

Further, two position adjusting mechanisms for adjusting the horizontal position and the height position of each laser device are provided between the laser device and the gantry at intervals in the optical axis direction of the laser oscillation light. Therefore, the optical axis position of the laser oscillation tube in each laser device can be adjusted without using a conventional reflecting mirror. As a result, there is no loss due to cross-reflection or absorption of the laser light in the reflection mirror, the loss ratio of the laser light that has been amplified and amplified can be reduced, the oscillation efficiency of the laser light can be greatly improved, and the position adjustment mechanism can be adjusted. By the operation, the optical axis of the laser oscillation light can be adjusted independently for each laser device, and operability and safety during operation can be improved.

Further, by providing an optical axis adjusting laser device that oscillates a small output laser beam, the optical axis of each laser device can be adjusted in advance with a small output laser beam before starting the main operation. In other words, since the laser beam with high intensity used in the conventional operation is not handled as in the past, the operability and safety of the system can be greatly improved, and more complicated protective equipment is not required. The overall configuration of the system can be greatly simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser amplification system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a laser device constituting the system shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a mechanism, FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of a conventional laser amplification system, FIG. 5 is a side view showing a configuration example of a laser device forming the conventional laser amplification system, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a reflection mirror for adjusting an optical axis used in a conventional laser amplification system. 1. Laser apparatus for laser light oscillation, 2a, 2b ... Laser apparatus for laser light amplification, 3 .... Stand, 4 ... Laser oscillation tube,
5 ... Circuit system, 6 ... Protective cover, 7 ... Drive power supply,
8 laser medium supply / exhaust device, 9 laser mirror, 10 laser light (reference beam), 11 amplified laser light (amplified beam), 12 package 13a, 13b, 13
c ... unit, 14 ... position adjustment mechanism, 15 ... base, 16
…… elevating plate, 17 …… groove, 18 …… optical axis, 19 …… horizontal plate, 20
…… Small output laser beam, 21 …… Laser device for optical axis adjustment.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A laser amplification system in which a laser device for laser light oscillation and a plurality of laser devices for laser amplification are connected on a gantry along the optical axis of laser oscillation light, wherein each of the laser devices is mounted on the gantry. Two position adjusting mechanisms, which are detachably arranged and adjust the horizontal position and the height position of each laser device, are provided between the laser device and the pedestal at intervals of two in the optical axis direction of the laser oscillation light. A laser amplification system, wherein the laser amplification system is disposed. 2. The laser amplification system according to claim 1, wherein the laser device for oscillating a laser beam includes a laser device for adjusting an optical axis that oscillates a small output laser beam used for adjusting an optical axis position.