US 7,502,396 B2
Solid-state laser apparatus
Toshiyuki Kawashima, Hamamatsu (Japan); Tadashi Kanabe, Takarazuka (Japan); Sadao Nakai, 6-45, Kitakasuga-oka 3-chrome, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka 567-0048 (Japan); and Hirofumi Kan, Hamamatsu (Japan)
Assigned to Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka (Japan); and Sadao Nakai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka (Japan)
Appl. No. 10/569,465
PCT Filed Aug. 23, 2004, PCT No. PCT/JP2004/012074
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Dec. 01, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2005/022707, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 10, 2005.
Claims priority of application No. 2003-305211 (JP), filed on Aug. 28, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2007/0297470 A1, Dec. 27, 2007
Int. Cl. H01S 3/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 372—34  [372/35] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A solid-state laser apparatus adapted to cool a solid-state laser medium with a coolant, the apparatus comprising:
a main pipe for circulating the coolant through the solid-state laser medium;
cooling means, provided in the main pipe, for cooling the coolant;
a bypass pipe connected in parallel to at least a part of the main pipe;
neutralizing means, provided in the bypass pipe, for weakening an acidity or alkalinity of the coolant;
flow regulating means, provided upstream of the neutralizing means in the bypass pipe, for regulating a flow rate of the coolant flowing into the bypass pipe; and
control means for controlling the flow regulating means such as to increase the flow rate of the coolant flowing into the bypass pipe when the coolant is acidic or alkaline,
wherein the main pipe is provided with a pump for circulating the coolant,
wherein the bypass pipe is connected in parallel to at least a part of the main pipe between the solid-state laser medium and an intake of the pump, and
wherein an upstream end and a downstream end of the bypass pipe are connected to the main pipe between the solid-state laser medium and an intake of the pump.