US Patent 7653094 External cavity laser with flexure tuning element

An external cavity diode laser may have an output wavelength that is tuned by an end mirror mounted on an element having a flexure hinge. The flexure hinge may be designed to exhibit a stationary pivot point over a desired tuning range, and may allow the external cavity to be tuned without the laser hopping between longitudinal modes. Chromatic dispersion of the laser medium may be accommodated by adjusting a distance between a laser diode and a grating included within the external cavity. The position may be adjusted to find an operating configuration which allows mode-hop-free tuning over the entire desired tuning range.