Laser system with solid state fluorescent converter matrix having distributed fluorescent converter particles

Claim 1

In a laser system, the combination comprising: (a) an active laser element; (b) a light source associated with said laser for pumping said laser to produce coherent, monochromatic light; (c) means positioned between said laser element and said light source for increasing the optical efficiency of the system by converting at least a portion of the light from said source which falls outside of the laser pumping band into light in the pumping band including: (1) a solid state fluorescent converter element exposed on one side thereof to light from said source for spectrally shifting light outside of the laser pumping band into light in the pumping band; (2) said converter element comprising a matrix which is transparent to and transmits light from said source including light in the pumping band and which physically supports an aggregate of individual converter particles dispersed throughout said matrix, the said individual particles absorbing light outside of the pumping band and reemitting a portion thereof as light in the pumping band, said dispersed particles being located in said matrix so as to concentrate the particles in a zone on the other side of said converter and located adjacent to the laser.