US Patent 7756185 Hardened pump laser and method of making the same

A hardened pump laser comprises a hardened pump chamber that combines the functions of a conventional flash lamp and a conventional laser cavity flow tube. The hardened pump chamber comprises a hardened filter tube and electrodes. The electrodes are sealed to the hardened filter tube. A chamber in the hardened filter tube is filled with gas through the electrodes, then sealed. The hardened pump chamber performs the laser pumping function while further performing filtering and diffusion functions.