Abstract: A solid state laser device with a lengthened pump beam path is provided herein. The laser device includes an active element having a specified geometric shape, specified optical characteristics, and further configured for lasing; and a light pumping element optically coupled to the active element, wherein the light pumping element is configured to generate a pump light beam directed at a specified angle into the active element, and wherein at least one of: the specified angle, the specified geometric shape, and the specified optical characteristics are selected such that the pump light beam is reflected one or more times within the active element resulting in an extension of an absorption path of the pump light beam within the active element.

Abstract: A solid state laser device is provided. The active element has a double slope portion defining a right angle between the slopes, wherein the pump light beam is directed into one of the slopes, and wherein an output coupler configured to output a laser beam from the active element is located on a portion of the active element, opposite of the double slope portion, the double slope portion is configured such that the laser beam travels at least twice along the long axis of the active element; and a second double slopes portion located at the edge opposite of the first double sloped portion, wherein the second double slopes portion is perpendicular to the first double slopes portion, and wherein the second double slopes portion is configured such that the laser beam travels back and forth along the long axis of the active element at least one more time.

Abstract: There is provided a solid-state laser apparatus, including a solid-state active element (4) having major surfaces and first and second edges (10,12) oppositely disposed to each other, the first edge (10) being flat and the second edge (12) being constituted by first and second perpendicularly disposed surfaces (12) or having first and second perpendicularly disposed surfaces (12) located adjacent to the second edge, a back reflector (16) and an output coupler (18) located at, or adjacent to, the first edge (10). Light induced in the cavity forms two parallel beams passing therethrough, by means of a first beam which is reflected by the back reflector (16) towards a first of the perpendicularly disposed surfaces and being folded to pass on to the second surface, to be further folded and to proceed towards the first edge (10). A saturable absorber (14) may be attached to the first edge (10).

Abstract: This invention discloses an universal chuck for holding plates, including a base having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, a lower carriage movable on the base along said longitudinal axis, an upper carriage movable on the lower carriage along the longitudinal axis, a plate mounting carried by the lower carriage at one side thereof for mounting one edge of a plate to be held by the universal chuck, and a plate mounting carried by the upper carriage at the side thereof opposite to the one side of the lower carriage, for mounting the opposite edge of the plate to be held by the universal chuck, such that moving the lower carriage and the upper carriage with respect to each other and with respect to the base along said longitudinal axis, changes the distance between the lower carriage and upper carriage plate mountings to thereby enable the chuck to hold plates of different longitudinal dimensions.