Inventors:
Robert Parsells - Princeton NJ, US
Charles Gentile - Plainsboro NJ, US
Assignee:
Princeton University - Princeton NJ
International Classification:
H01S003/04, H01S003/08, G01F023/00
Abstract:
The present invention is directed toward a window or foil that transmits incident radiation with high efficiency and that is coupled to a cooling means to dissipate heat from radiation losses occurring within the window. In one aspect the invention provides an energy-transmitting system that includes a nonmetallic window and means for cooling the window. In a second aspect the invention provides a laser assembly including a laser cavity enclosed by a wall that has one or more surfaces, wherein at least one surface includes an actively cooled window of the invention. In various embodiments of both the energy-transmitting system and the laser assembly the window includes a dielectric material, or a semiconducting material such as silicon. In addition a corrosion-resistant coating may be deposited on at least one surface of the window. Among several modalities for cooling the window, favorably the window includes a semiconductor exhibiting a thermoelectric effect and the cooling means implements thermoelectric cooling thereof. The invention additionally provides a method of cooling a window, such as when it is included as part of a laser assembly described herein, that includes providing the assembly and operating a cooling means disposed effectively to cool the window.