Fabrication and laser behavior of the Yb:YAG ceramic microchips

Highly transparent 5 at.% Yb:YAG ceramic microchips were fabricated by vacuum sintering technology. The calculated cross section of the absorption σ_abs and emission σ_em were 6.1 × 10⁻²¹ cm² at 940 nm and 1.9 × 10⁻²⁰ cm² at 1030 nm, respectively. The fluorescence lifetime of the unannealed sample was 0.618 ms, and became 1.229 ms after annealing. Laser oscillation around 1037 nm was observed when pumped by the fiber-coupled laser with 970 nm. The threshold power was 3.0 W and the slope efficiency was about 12% when using the transmission of 2.6% output coupler.     

Multi-wavelength continuous-wave laser operation of Yb:Ca3Gd2(BO3)4 disordered crystal

The diode-pumped multi-wavelength continuous-wave laser operation of the disordered Yb:Ca₃Gd₂(BO₃)₄ crystal was firstly investigated in this paper. The simultaneous emission wavelengths varied from 2 to 5 in the range from 1045.4 to 1063.6 nm with the change of the absorbed pump power and crystal length. An output power of 1.4 W was obtained with four-wavelength emission, corresponding to an optical-optical slope efficiency of 23.7%. Five-wavelength emission at 1049.4, 1051.3, 1053.4, 1055.6 and 1057.4 nm was realized under the output power of 1.0 W. The absorption behavior of Yb:Ca₃Gd₂(BO₃)₄ have also been measured.     

Investigation of continuous-wave and Q-switched microchip laser characteristics of Yb:YAG ceramics and crystals

Continuous-wave and passively Q-switched microchip laser performance of Yb:YAG ceramics and single-crystals was investigated. Highly efficient continuous-wave Yb:YAG laser performance was observed at 1030 nm and 1049 nm for both Yb:YAG ceramics and crystals with different transmissions of output couplers. The laser performance of Yb:YAG ceramic is comparable to that of Yb:YAG single crystal. Meanwhile, the laser performance of laser-diode pumped Yb:YAG/Cr⁴⁺:YAG all-ceramics- and all-crystals-combination passively Q-switched microchip lasers were investigated. Sub-nanosecond laser pulses with peak power over 150 kW were obtained with different Yb:YAG/Cr⁴⁺:YAG combinations. Linearly polarized laser was observed in Yb:YAG/Cr⁴⁺:YAG all-crystals combination and circular polarized laser was obtained in Yb:YAG/Cr⁴⁺:YAG all-ceramics combination. The best laser performance was obtained with Yb:YAG/Cr⁴⁺:YAG all-crystals combination.     

Multi-ring modes generation in Yb:YAG ceramic laser

A short-focus glass lens with strong spherical aberration was used for mode selection in the cw LD-end-pumped Yb:YAG ceramic laser. Sequence of low to very high order Laguerre-Gaussian (LG_pl) modes with different combinations of radial, p and azimuthal, l indices (p ? 10, l ? 28), with output beam diameters 2-13 mm and power up to 30 mW was obtained. Peaked and hollow multi-ring beams with near-diffraction free propagation of the central minimum or maximum over 40 m distance from the laser resonator were observed. Mechanisms of mode selection and possible applications of the proposed laser scheme are considered.     

Fabrication and laser properties of transparent Yb:YAG ceramics

High optical quality transparent Yb:YAG laser ceramics have been successfully fabricated by a vacuum reactive sintering method. Commercial Al₂O₃ powder and co-precipitated Y₂O₃ and Yb₂O₃ powders were used as the raw materials. In-line transmittances at 1300 nm and 400 nm were measured to be 83.6% and 81.8% respectively for a 3 mm thick mirror polished Yb:YAG ceramics sample. Continuous wave (CW) lasing at the wavelength of 1030 nm was achieved when pumped by a 940 nm fiber coupled laser diode. A slope efficiency as high as 62.7% was obtained.     

Plate-shaped Yb:LuPO4 crystal for efficient CW and passively Q-switched microchip lasers

It is demonstrated that plate-shaped crystals of Yb:LuPO₄, which are grown from spontaneous nucleation by high-temperature solution method, can be utilized to make microchip lasers operating in continuous-wave (CW) or passively Q-switched mode. Efficient operation of such a microchip laser, which is built with a 0.3 mm thick crystal plate in a 2 mm long plane-parallel cavity, is realized at room temperature. With 2.37 W of pump power absorbed, 1.45 W of CW output power is generated with a slope efficiency of 73%. When passively Q-switched with a Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystal plate as saturable absorber, the laser produces a maximum pulsed output power of 0.53 W at 1013.3 nm, at a pulse repetition rate of 23.8 kHz, the resulting pulse energy, duration, and peak power are 22.3 μJ, 4.0 ns, and 5.6 kW, respectively.     

Stable 4 W CW solid-state green source pumped by fibre-coupled diode-laser arrays

Abstract

A high-power Nd:YAG laser end-pumped by a fibre-coupled diode-laser array system is described. When operated at 1 μm, the device produced 10 W of output power in the TEM₀₀ transverse mode with a slope efficiency of 43%. The system was operated using both 600 μm and 400 μm core, 0·37 N.A. multimode fibres for delivery of the pump radiation, and also with Nd:YVO₄ as the gain material. By intracavity doubling with KTP, 4 W of non-chaotic two-mode 0·5 μm output was obtained.     

Diode-cladding-pumped Yb3+, Ho(3+)-doped silica fiber laser operating at 2.1-microm

The characteristics of the performance of a diode-cladding-pumped Yb3+, Ho(3+)-doped silica fiber laser are presented. To our knowledge this in the first demonstration of a Yb3+, Ho(3+)-doped fiber laser, and a maximum output power of 0.85 W was achieved for a launched pump power of 10.9 W. For launched pump powers < 7 W, the slope efficiency was approximately 12.5%. Visible fluorescence emission with peaks at approximately 485, approximately 550, and approximately 660 nm measured at the output from the laser suggests that excited-state absorption and energy-transfer upconversion losses may impair the functioning of the laser. Increasing the Yb3+ and Ho3+ concentrations and the Yb3+:Ho3+ concentration ratio may lead to an improvement in the overall efficiency of the device.     

Efficient energy transfer between Ce/Cr and Nd ions in transparent Nd/Ce/Cr:YAG ceramics

This paper reports the spectroscopic and laser characteristics of transparent ceramics of YAG:Nd co-doped with Ce and Cr. The ceramics were prepared by advanced ceramic techniques and showed more than 85% of transparency. Diode pumped laser oscillation performed at different output coupler transmissions (T) showed that a maximum slope efficiency of 16% was achieved for T = 3%. The cross energy transfer mechanism under violet laser diode pumping has been analyzed and the possible energy transfer mechanisms have been proposed using the various energy levels of the dopant ions. The emission lifetimes of the dopant ions at two different concentrations have also been found.     

Enhancement of stability and peak power in a diode-pumped doubly QML YVO4/Nd:YVO4 laser with EO and Cr:YAG saturable absorber

A diode-pumped doubly Q-switched and mode-locked (QML) YVO₄/NdYVO₄ laser is realized with the electro-optic (EO) modulator and Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber, in which the repetition rate of the Q-switched envelope is controlled by the active EO modulation while the mode-locked pulses inside the Q-switched envelope depend on both the actively modulated loss and the passive saturable absorption. The experimental results show that the doubly QML laser can generate more stable and shorter pulses with higher peak power when compared with the singly passively QML laser with Cr⁴⁺:YAG. At the pump power of 20 W and the repetition rate 1 kHz, a 21 ns Q-switched pulse envelope with a average mode-locked peak power of 544 kW is obtained, which is the shortest Q-switched pulse envelope to my knowledge. In comparison to the singly passively QML laser with Cr⁴⁺:YAG, the doubly QML laser has compressed the Q-switched envelope pulse width 70% and improved the mode-locked pulsed peak power 27 times. By using a hyperbolic secant square function and considering the Gaussian distribution of the intracavity photon density, the coupled equations for diode-pumped dual-loss-modulated QML laser is given and the numerical solutions of the equations are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Cw and passively Q-switched laser performance of a mixed c-cut Nd:Gd0.33Lu0.33Y0.33VO4 crystal operating at 1.34 μm

Continuous wave and passively Q-switched laser operation with a mixed c-cut Nd:Gd_0.33Lu_0.33Y_0.33VO₄ crystal at 1.34 μm has been realized for the first time as far as we know. The largest output power of the continuous wave was 1.1 W for the output mirror of 5% transmission, with the optical conversion efficiency and the slope efficiency being 15% and 17.2%, respectively. The passive loss and the stimulated emission cross-section of the Nd:Gd_0.33Lu_0.33Y_0.33VO₄ crystal were found to be 0.6% and 0.47 × 10⁻¹⁹ cm². The thermal lens effect that weakened the laser performance has also been measured. For passively Q-switched operation, the shortest pulse duration of 26 ns, the highest peak power of 1.8 kW, along with the pulse energy as large as 47 μJ, were obtained using V:YAG as Q-switch. The experimental results have shown that the passively Q-switched Nd:Gd_0.33Lu_0.33Y_0.33VO₄ laser can generate pulses with larger pulse energy and higher peak power in comparison with the passively Q-switched Nd:GdYVO₄ lasers.     

Efficient tri-wavelength actively Q-switched Yb:GAGG laser

An efficient acousto-optic Q-switched Yb-doped Gd₃Al_xGa_5−xO₁₂ (GAGG) (x = 0.5) laser is demonstrated. Under the absorbed pump power of 7.4 W, the maximum average output power of 1.4 W is obtained at the pulse repletion rate of 1 kHz , with the slope efficiency as high as 32%. The pulse width of 40 ns is achieved with the pulse energy and peak power of 1.4 mJ and 35 kW, respectively. What’ more, the output spectrum shows itself tri-wavelength in either CW or Q-switching mode. To our knowledge, this is the first time for realizing simultaneous tri-wavelength Yb:GAGG laser actively Q-switched operation.     

Design and fabrication of a diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG laser with a diffusive optical cavity for 500-W output power

A ray-tracing code has been developed, and the design parameters of the laser pump head were analyzed in terms of crystal diameter, doping concentration, and optical cavity diameter. According to the numerical analysis, we fabricated an efficient diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser and experimentally obtained 500-W output power. The output power is close to the numerically calculated output power of approximately 450 W and corresponds to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 46.7% and an optical slope efficiency of 49%.     

Efficient corner-pumped Yb:YAG/YAG composite slab laser

A high efficiency Yb:YAG/YAG composite slab laser is presented, in which the corner-pumped scheme is adopted. The slab is a composite crystal of Yb:YAG bonded thermally with undoped YAG at both edges. The pump light from diode arrays is coupled into the slab through four chamfers at the four corners independently. The pump absorption efficiency is studied, and an analysis method has been developed as a guide to optimize the geometric parameters of the composite slab, to obtain higher pump absorption efficiency and uniformity. The influence of the internal thermal lens on the laser resonator is analyzed. A 1016 W continuous-wave output has been obtained with the slope efficiency and optical-to-optical efficiency of 42.8% and 34.4%, respectively.     

Comparison of fluorescence spectra of Yb:Y3Al5O12 and Yb:YAlO3 single crystals

Yb:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (Yb:YAG) single crystals with Yb doping concentration 0.5 at.%, 5 at.%, 15 at.%, 25 at.%, 50 at.%, 100 at.% and Yb:YAlO₃ (Yb:YAP) single crystals with Yb doping concentration 0.5 at.%, 5 at.%, 15 at.%, 30 at.% were grown by the Czochralski process. The fluorescence spectra of these crystals and the effects of self-absorption on the shape of the fluorescence spectra were studied. Through comparing the fluorescence spectra of Yb:YAG and Yb:YAP, all results indicate that the effects of self-absorption on the fluorescence spectra of Yb:YAP are remarkably stronger than that of Yb:YAG at the same Yb concentration.     

The influence of base doping density on the performance of evaporated poly-Si thin-film solar cells by solid-phase epitaxy

The phosphorous base doping dependence of evaporated poly-Si thin-film solar cell by aluminium-induced crystallization solid-phase epitaxy (ALICE) has been investigated. It is found that the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of the the poly-Si thin-film solar cell increases with the decrease of base doping density due to the defect-rich nature of poly-Si thin-film material and effectiveness of the back surface field. Meanwhile, the short-circuit current (J_sc) also increases with the decrease of the base doping density as a result of the reduced doping-induced defects. Therefore, the maximum V_oc and J_sc are simultaneously achieved when the lowest phosphorous base doping density (~ 5.5 × 10¹⁵ cm^− 3) is applied.     

Performance of diode-end-pumped Cr, Nd:YAG self-Q-switched and Nd:YAG/Cr:YAG diffusion bonded lasers

Self-passively Q-switching of a diode-pumped Cr,Nd:YAG, where the Cr⁴⁺ is used as a saturable absorber for the 1064 nm laser emission is reported. The maximum average output power was obtained using an output coupler of R=86%. The self-Q-switched diode pumped laser yielded 1.86-W average output power with low threshold pumping power (≈1.7-W), average slope efficiency of ≈34%, pulse duration of about 14–16 ns, and modulation frequency ranging from 2.4 to 73 kHz, depending on the input pumping power. These results are the highest reported for self-Q-switched lasers. Higher slope efficiency (42%) and shorter Q-switched pulses were obtained for a Q-switched Nd:YAG/Cr⁴⁺:YAG diffusion bonded laser. A comparison of the codoped Cr,Nd:YAG laser performance, with that of a diffusion bonded laser is reported and analyzed.     

Structural and superconducting properties of Bi1.7Pb0.4Sr2 − xYbxCa1.1Cu2.1Oy system

The structural, electrical and superconducting properties of Bi_1.7Pb_0.4Sr_2 − xYb_xCa_1.1Cu_2.1O_y system has been studied for different Yb concentrations. The samples are prepared by solid state synthesis in the polycrystalline bulk form. Structural analysis by X-ray diffraction, microstructural examination by SEM and measurements of electrical and superconducting properties have been conducted to study the effects of Yb substitution at Sr site. The critical temperature (T_C) and critical current density (J_C) are found to increase drastically with Yb substitution. Maximum values of T_C and J_C are observed for x = 0.3 and x = 0.2 respectively. The increase in T_C and J_C is explained due to the substitution effect of Yb³⁺ in place of Sr²⁺ and consequent change in the hole concentration in the CuO₂ planes. Above the optimum levels T_C and J_C begin to reduce due to secondary phase formation. A metal-insulator transition originating from the change of carrier concentration is found to occur at higher doping level (x > 0.5).     

Efficient laser operation at 1.06 μm in co-doped Lu3+, Nd3+:GdCa4O(BO3)3 single crystal

Efficient laser emission at 1.06 μm was obtained from a diode-laser quasi-continuous wave pumped Nd_0.04Gd_0.86Lu_0.10Ca₄O(BO₃)₃ (Nd:GdLuCOB) single crystal. An uncoated, 6.0-mm long, ZX-cut Nd:GdLuCOB medium yielded laser pulses with 1.76 W peak power for absorbed pump pulses of 5.49 W peak power, corresponding to an overall optical-to-optical efficiency η_oa = 0.32; the slope efficiency was η_sa = 0.44. Comparison is made with an uncoated XY-cut Nd:GdCOB medium (4.0-at.% Nd doping and 6.8-mm length) from which laser pulses with 1.74 W peak power (at optical efficiency η_oa = 0.25) and 0.31 slope efficiency were obtained. The improvements in laser emission of Nd:GdLuCOB at the fundamental wavelength are important for future self-frequency doubling in ZX principal plane of this crystal.     

Preparation of Magnéli phases of Ti27O52 and Ti6O11 films by laser chemical vapor deposition

Magnéli phases of Ti₂₇O₅₂ and Ti₆O₁₁ films were prepared by laser chemical vapor deposition using Ti(dpm)₂(O-i-Pr)₂ as a precursor. Ti₆O₁₁ film was obtained at a laser power (P_L) of 200 W and a deposition temperature (T_dep) of 1270 K. Ti₂₇O₅₂ film was obtained at P_L = 150 to 200 W and T_dep = 1120 to 1250 K. Ti₆O₁₁ and Ti₂₇O₅₂ films had a faceted texture about 2 μm in grain size and a columnar cross section. The deposition rate of Ti₂₇O₅₂ and Ti₆O₁₁ films were 90 and 70 μm h^− 1, respectively.