Improved Ti:sapphire laser performance with new high figure ofmerit crystals

The continuous-wave (CW) laser performance of Ti:Al₂O ₃ crystals with high figure of merit is described. Using a 0.1% Ti:Al₂O₃ crystal (FOM=1000), output powers of 3.5 W at 800 nm are obtained, pumping with a 9.6 W argon ion laser operating multiline. Continuous tunability of the CW Ti:Al₂O ₃ laser extending from 665 to 1070 nm is also demonstrated for a 5 W pump power     

Spectroscopic Properties and Laser Performance of Er3+ and Yb3+ Co-Doped GdAl3(BO3)4 Crystal

An Er:Yb:GdAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystal was grown and room-temperature polarized absorption, emission, and gain spectra were investigated. Fluorescence decay curves of Er³⁺ at 1530 nm and Yb³⁺ at 1040 nm in the crystal were measured. Efficient laser operation of Er:Yb:GdAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystal at 1.5-1.6 mum was realized. Quasi-continuous-wave output powers of 1.8 W with slope efficiency of 19% and 0.78 W with slope efficiency of 14% were achieved in diode-pumped c-cut and c-cut and a-cut crystals, respectively. The output spectrum and polarization of Er:Yb:GdAl₃(BO₃)₄ laser were also investigated.     

CW Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 self-frequency-doubling laser at roomtemperature

A CW Nd:MgO:LiNbO₃ self-frequency-doubling laser has been demonstrated at room temperature for the first time. The second-harmonic output at λ=547 nm up to 18 mW was achieved in a simple resonator     

High power 875 nm Al-free laser diodes

Data are presented on Al-free InGaAsP-GaAs single quantum well laser diodes operating at 875 nm. Total output powers in excess of 4 W are achieved from a 100 μm broad area gain-guided device. Threshold currents under 200 A/cm² are reported for diodes operated continuous wave (cw) at room temperature (20°C)     

Subnanosecond multi-gigawatt CO2 laser

A semiconductor switching technique has been utilized to produce 30-300 ps variable duration CO₂ laser pulses of 0.5-MW peak power. Eight passes through a 1.2-m long, UV-preionized, 3-atm TE CO₂ amplifier raise the output laser peak power to the 10¹⁰ W level. Sampling the amplifier gain in linear and saturated regimes using CO₂ laser radiation ranging from CW to 30 ps pulse length permits comparison with computer modeling of picosecond CO₂ pulse amplification. The potential for further peak power scaling of picosecond molecular lasers is discussed     

Visible laser sources based on frequency doubling in nonlinearwaveguides

This paper reviews nonlinear quasi-phase-matching (QPM) waveguides and laser diodes with application to conversion of infrared laser diode wavelengths to the visible. The discussion of nonlinear QPM waveguides includes Ti-diffusion poled and E-field poled LiNbO₃ and KTP waveguides. Up to 25 mW of blue output power has been demonstrated for 120-mW infrared power injected into a nonlinear waveguide. Semiconductor laser sources suitable for frequency doubling are discussed, including distributed Bragg reflection (DBR) lasers operating at up to 200 mW output power, master oscillator power amplifiers with over 1 W output power, and wavelength-tunable flared semiconductor lasers with over 0.5 W output. A compact blue laser with 1-4 mW output power at 425-nm wavelength has been demonstrated based on a DBR laser frequency doubled in a nonlinear waveguide     

Continuous wave 16 µm CF4laser

A 16 μm CF4laser oscillator has operated continuous wave in a cooled static cell. Pump powers required from the low-pressure continuous wave CO2laser were approximately 3 W. The laser cavity was a multiple-pass off-axis-path two-mirror ring resonator. Unidirectional CF4laser power at 615 cm^-1exceeded 2 mW. Rate equations were used to estimate scaling of this laser source. For modest pump powers (40 W) approximately 1 W of emission power is predicted from this small and simple system.     

Internally folded Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO4 lasers pumped bylaser diodes

An efficient, scalable, diode-pumped Nd laser design is reported. The gain element can be longitudinally pumped along five separate axes and is relatively simple to fabricate. Both Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO₄ gain media were evaluated. Using five single-stripe laser diodes to pump the Nd:YAG, 3.94 W of absorbed power produced 2.1 W CW at 1.06 μm. The slope efficiency was 54 percent and the output was TEM₀₀. The threshold power was 40 mW. No evidence of thermal saturation was observed up to the maximum pump power. Repetitively Q-switched operation is also reported. The maximum output power for Nd:YVO₄ obtained with 2.9 W of pump power was 1.3 W. The slope efficiency was 47 percent     

Efficient 2-$mu$m Continuous-Wave Laser Oscillation of Tm$^3 + $:KLu(WO$_4$)$_2$

Monoclinic crystals of Tm-doped KLu(WO₄)₂ were grown with high crystalline quality for several dopant concentrations. The relevant spectroscopic properties for the ³ F₄rarr³H₆ laser transition (cross sections, lifetime) were measured at room temperature. Laser oscillation in the 2-mum range was obtained both with Ti:sapphire and diode laser pumping near 800 nm using different setups. The maximum output powers achieved were 1.4 and 4 W, respectively, and the corresponding slope efficiencies with respect to the absorbed power were 60% and 69%, respectively. The novel monoclinic double tungstate thulium host KLu(WO₄)₂ was directly compared to KGd(WO₄)₂ and exhibited superior performance. The two laser polarization configurations for Tm:KLu(WO₄)₂ ,E//N_m and E//N_p, were also compared under identical conditions with pumping by the polarized Ti:sapphire laser. Tuning was studied for both of them using an intracavity Lyot filter and the tuning range achieved was from 1800 to 1987 nm. In the case of no polarization selective cavity elements the diode-pumped Tm:KLu(WO₄ )₂ laser naturally selected the E//N_m polarization     

A diode-pumped 1.4-W Tm3+:GdVO4 microchiplaser at 1.9 μm

GdVO₄ as a host for thulium has several advantages for diode pumping in comparison with other crystals. The absorption cross section of thulium in GdVO₄ is considerably stronger and broader than in YAG and YLF, and the spectrum is shifted closer to the emission wavelength of commercially available AlGaAs laser diodes. In our paper, we report on a diode-pumped monolithic Tm³⁺(6.9 at.%):GdVO₄ microchip laser at 1.9 μm. A maximum output power of 1.4 W is achieved. Two different arrangements for cooling the crystal are discussed. Furthermore, the input-output curves under Ti:sapphire pumping are compared for different pump wavelengths. Slope efficiencies of 58%, clearly exceeding the Stokes limit of 41%, are achieved     

High-Power Laser Performance of Yb:YAl3(BO3)4 Crystals Cut Along the Crystallographic Axes

High-power continuous-wave laser operation near 1 mum was demonstrated at room temperature with c-cut and a-cut Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystals end-pumped by a fiber-coupled diode laser. Using a 2-mm-thick c-cut crystal, 10.6 W of output power was generated with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 65% and a slope efficiency of 72%. The complex polarization state of the generated laser radiation was also studied. With a 2-mm-thick a-cut crystal, sigma-polarized laser oscillation was obtained, producing a maximum output power of 8.1 W; the optical-to-optical and slope efficiencies were 56% and 61%, respectively. Complete absorption and emission cross section spectra of the Yb:YAl₃(BO₃) ₄ crystal were also derived, revealing very strong anisotropy of the spectroscopic properties     

A CW CO2 laser with DC-discharge preionization

The application of the plasma-injection technique (involving DC-discharge preionization) to a CW CO₂ laser operating with recirculated gas is described. Measured characteristics of the discharges, the gain, and the output power are presented. An output of 110 W was obtained with a specific efficiency of 1.0 J/l^-1 of flowed gas at a pressure of 10 kPa. A simplified model to calculate a characteristic length of the main discharge, which is useful for design purposes, is developed. This type of laser may be scaled simply to higher output powers, requires a gas mixture with only 20% He, is compact and robust, and yet is simple in its electrical and mechanical requirements     

Frequency-doubled monolithic master oscillator power amplifierlaser diode

Single-pass frequency doubling of laser diodes extends the wavelength range of infrared laser diodes to blue-green wavelengths. We describe the first experiments of frequency doubling of a coherent, high-power, monolithic master oscillator power amplifier (M-MOPA) laser diode. The output from a l-W M-MOPA is frequency doubled in a single pass through an 8.2-mm-long KNbO₃ crystal. We obtained 3.7-mW diffraction-limited output power at a wavelength of 491 nm and modulation at 20 MHz was demonstrated     

Nd:Y2O3透明陶瓷4F3/2-4I11/2跃迁光谱及高效激光输出

报道了采用真空烧结法结合热等静压技术制备的Nd:Y₂O₃透明陶瓷的荧光光谱特性及相关激光输出。通过与Nd:YAG透明陶瓷的荧光光谱对比,表明Nd:Y₂O₃透明陶瓷的4F_3/2-4I_11/2跃迁光谱存在着多个增益相当的谱线,这更有利于实现同时双波长段激光振荡;不同斯塔克子跃迁光谱的离散特性有利于通过腔镜镀膜控制不同波长损耗,获得丰富的1.0~1.1 μm波段激光。利用简单的平平两镜腔结构完成进一步的实验,通过选择的输出镜片镀膜获得了输出功率3.62 W、转换效率40.4%的1074.6 nm和1078.8 nm的双波长输出和输出功率1.7 W、转换效率19.4%的1130.3 nm波长输出。     

Efficient laser emission in concentrated Nd laser materials underpumping into the emitting level

The possibility of using concentrated Nd laser materials for efficient laser emission and for scaling to high powers is discussed. It is shown that the increased optical absorption in these materials makes direct pumping into the emitting level feasible, with a reduction of the quantum defect between the pump and emission wavelengths, which in turn can enhance the laser emission characteristics and reduce heat generation under pumping. The investigation of the effect of Nd concentration on emission decay of Nd:YAG indicates that up to quite high concentrations, the reduction of the emission quantum efficiency by self-quenching can be compensated by an increase in the pump absorption. Efficient continuous-wave laser emission is demonstrated under direct pumping into the ⁴F_3/2 emitting level of Nd:YAG crystals with up to 3.5-at.% Nd, Nd:YAG ceramics with up to 6.8-at.% Nd, and Nd:YVO₄ crystals with up to 3-at.% Nd. Superior performance as compared to traditional pumping into the ⁴F _5/2 state were obtained. It is inferred that direct pumping into the emitting level of concentrated Nd materials can improve the efficiency of solid-state lasers in the free-generation or low-storage regimes and opens the possibility of scaling these lasers to high powers     

Investigation of efficient self-frequency-doubling Nd:YAB lasers

We report on the investigation of efficient self-frequency doubling Nd:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ (Nd:YAB) lasers. Pumped by 1.6 W of 807 nm diode laser radiation, the Nd:YAB laser generates a green 531-nm output of 225 mW which corresponds to a conversion of pump to visible output power of 14%. Conversion efficiencies as high as 20% could be achieved by using the diffraction-limited beam of a Ti:sapphire laser as pump source. In this case, 2.2 W of 807-nm Ti:sapphire radiation produced a 531-nm output of 450 mW. The experimental performance of these Nd:YAB lasers is in good agreement with the predictions of a numerical analysis based on rate equations adequate for lasers with self-frequency doubling     

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes fabricated by in situdry etching and molecular beam epitaxial regrowth

The authors report the first buried active region vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes fabricated using in situ dry etching and molecular beam epitaxial regrowth. The laser emissions of the etched/regrown devices persist over a greater current range and exhibit maximum output powers larger than air-post lasers. The lasers are anisotropically etched into the lower monolithic distributed Bragg reflector using an electron cyclotron resonance SiCl₄ plasma etch. After transfer in ultra-high vacuum, epitaxial AlGaAs current blocking layers are regrown around the etched mesas. Polycrystalline deposition on the SiO₂ mask is removed by reactive ion etching to allow electrical contact and top surface emission. The etched/regrown laser characteristics demonstrate efficient current confinement and low thermal impedance. The vacuum integrated processing described offers the prospect of further device performance enhancements and greater functionality     

Energy recycling versus lifetime quenching in erbium-doped 3-μmfiber lasers

Based on recently published spectroscopic measurements of the relevant energy-transfer parameters, we performed a detailed analysis of the population mechanisms and the characteristics of the output from Er ³⁺-singly-doped and Er³⁺, Pr³⁺-codoped ZBLAN fiber lasers operating at 3 μm, for various Er³⁺ concentrations and pump powers. Whereas both approaches resulted in similar laser performance at Er³⁺ concentrations <4 mol.% and pump powers <10 W absorbed, it is theoretically shown here that the Er³⁺-singly-doped system will be advantageous for higher Er³⁺ concentrations and pump powers. In this case, energy recycling by energy-transfer upconversion from the lower to the upper laser level can increase the slope efficiency to values greater than the Stokes efficiency, as is associated with a number of Er³⁺-doped crystal lasers. Output powers at 3 μm on the order of 10 W are predicted     

弯曲限模对大模场光纤横模不稳定效应的影响

横模不稳定效应已经逐渐成为引起高功率光纤激光光束质量急剧恶化并限制其输出功率进一步提升的首要瓶颈问题。基于全光纤化正向泵浦的窄线宽高功率放大平台，对大模场光纤激光器中的横模不稳定效应进行了一系列的探索研究。根据耦合模方程的计算结果，所用大模场光纤25/400 μm中LP₀₁、LP₁₁模之间的非线性耦合强度最大，这也直接诱导了横模不稳定效应的发生。为了抑制LP₁₁模在主放大级的产生和放大，通过弯曲限模这种可操作性强的模式滤波技术，将主放增益光纤的弯曲半径从6 cm缩小至5 cm的过程中，高功率光纤激光系统的横模不稳定阈值从1000 W量级提高到了1600 W量级，而且激光器的其他输出性能几乎没有受到影响。这为构建实际的窄线宽高功率全光纤化的激光系统提供了强有力的实验参照。     

Plasma chemistry of the closed-cycle 1 kHz transversely excitedatmospheric CO2 laser with an efficient catalytic CO2 regenerator

A high-power closed-cycle 1 kHz transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO₂ laser with an efficient catalytic CO₂ regenerator was used to investigate the variations of the average laser output power and the concentrations of the CO₂, CO, and O₂ molecules in the laser gas mixture with the operational performance of the CO₂ regenerator. It was experimentally shown that for the laser gas mixture of CO₂-N₂-He=15-15-70% and the output coupler reflectivity of 70%, η of 0.1 was required to maintain the laser output power greater than 90% of the initial laser output power of 570 W at an input energy density and a clearing ratio of 150 J/L and 3.0, respectively