Pulsed laser damage thresholds in vitro for intraocular lenses and membranes

Energy and power density damage thresholds were determined in air, for plastic IOL's and membranes at the focal point of several solid-state laser systems: 1) 694 nm,Q-switched single pulse (30 ns), multimode, 2) 1064 nm,Q-switched single pulse (20 ns), TEM00, 3) 1060 nm, mode-locked single pulse, 15 ps, TEM11, 4) 530 nm, mode-locked single pulse, 15 ps, TEM11, and 5) 1064 nm, mode-locked pulse train (9-11 pulses, 30 ps), TEM00. Pulse energies bracketing damage thresholds as well as focal diameter and pulse duration for each system were determined. Energy density thresholds are lower, and power density thresholds higher, for shorter duration pulses-e.g., 23 J/cm²(1.15 GW/cm²) versus 6 J/cm²(400 GW/cm²) at the same wavelength as in systems 2) and 3) (p = 0.005). Damage thresholds for glass IOL's are 37 J/cm²(1.9 GW/cm²) and 37 J/cm²(1235 GW/cm²) as in systems 2) and 5). Damage threshold values for plastic membranes (Saran Wrap^®) exposed to nanosecond and picosecond pulse trains of Nd:YAG at 1064 nm are about half that of plastic IOL's. When laser pulses with a cone angle of 14° from systems 2) and 5) are focused on plastic membrane next to the IOL, damage thresholds are 30 J/cm²(1.5 GW/cm²) for 20 nsQ-switched pulses and 20 J/cm²(670 GW/cm²) for trains of 30 ps mode-locked pulses. Damage thresholds of IOL's immersed in 0.9 percent saline are approximately the same as those obtained in air.     

High peak power and high repetition rate characteristics in acurrent-pulsed Q-switched CO2 laser with a mechanical shutter

An electro-mechanical Q-switched (EMQ) CO₂ laser is Q-switched by a mechanical beam chopper in combination with a pulsed discharge current. Such a system can produce pulses with high peak powers (>10 kW) and high repetition rates (>1 kpps). In order to analyze the output characteristics, the peak power and the duration of the output pulses have been measured experimentally in detail over a wide range of Q-switching times up to 250 ns. For a low-pressure (<4 kPa) CO₂ gas system, the standard rate equations adequately explain the experimental results by introducing a new switching function for the form of the cavity loss for the mechanical chopper. In an EMQ-laser with a high initial inversion density (4.5·10¹⁵ /cm³ at 150 mA peak current), multiple peak pulses or pulse distortion have been observed. This is due to the plasma screening effect induced by the burning of the metal shutter blades placed inside the cavity. It is found that tungsten metal shutter blades can be used up to a power density of 259 MW/cm² for a focused beam without this effect occurring, The solutions of the rate equations show that optimum coupling can prevent the plasma screening effect even for a Q-switching time longer than the pulse buildup time. The EMQ-laser configured for optimum coupling has produced a peak output power of 30 kW for the 9P20 transition branch in the CO₂ spectrum without any pulse distortion. This value has been obtained even though the discharge length was only 1.3 meters     

Impact of electron collision mixing on the delay times of anelectron beam excited atomic xenon laser

The atomic xenon (5d→6p) infrared laser has been experimentally and theoretically investigated using a short-pulse (30-ns), high-power (1-10-MW/cm³) coaxial electron beam excitation source. In most cases, laser oscillation is not observed during the e-beam current pulse. Laser pulses of hundreds of nanoseconds duration are subsequently obtained, however, with oscillation beginning 60-800 ns after the current pulse terminates. Results from a computer model for the xenon laser reproduce the experimental values and show that oscillation begins when the fractional electron density decays below a critical value of ≈0.2-0.8×10 ⁶. These results lend credence to the proposal that electron collision mixing of the laser levels limits the maximum value of specific power deposition that can be used to excite the atomic xenon laser efficiently on a quasi-CW basis     

Threshold current density in solution-grown GaAs laser diodes

Threshold current density of solution-grown GaAs laser diodes with a Fabry-Perot cavity were measured at 77 and 300°K by varying the acceptor concentration in thepregion Na. Threshold current density was lower in the series of diodes with larger values of Nathan in the series of diodes with smaller values of Nafor the diode length between 0.1 and 1 mm. Through these experiments diodes with the threshold current density as low as3 times10^{2}A/cm²at 77°K and2.8 times 10^{4}A/cm²at 300°K for the diode length of 1 mm, and as low as 10³A/cm²at 77°K and4.5 times 10^{4}A/cm²at 300°K for the diode length of 0.1 mm were obtained.     

LASOS—laser annealed silicon on sapphire

Laser annealing techniques were successfully incorporated into standard MOS/SOS processing to increase transistor channel mobility and processing yield. Silicon islands were photolithographically defined and chemically etched (by KOH) on standard SOS wafers. The islands were exposed to radiation from an excimer laser (λ = 2490 Å) having a pulse duration of 25 ns, a beam size in the range of 0.1-0.2 cm², and an energy density in the range of 0.5 - 1.0 J/cm². Using standard processing techniques MOS transistors were fabricated and characterized. It was found that exposure at an energy density of ∼0.80 J/cm²results in rounding the Si island edges, thus eliminating the "V"-shaped groove profile of the gate oxide and improving Al step coverage. The electrical characteristics of MOS transistors fabricated over laser annealed islands exhibited a 30-percent increase in channel mobility with a small negative shift (<0.2 V) in the transistor threshold voltage.     

A miniature high-power KrF laser excited with a capacitively coupled discharge

A KrF excimer laser excited in a capacitively coupled discharge device made out of commercial BaTiO3doorknob capacitors is described. The discharge volume of 1.4 cm³is formed by a 3 mm bore into four capacitors glued together in a line. A maximal laser output energy of 1.7 mJ (1.2 J/l) in a 5.0 ns long pulse was achieved.     

High average and high peak brightness slab laser

A high average and high peak brightness Nd:YAG MOPA laser system composed of a laser-diode-pumped Nd:YAG master oscillator, flash-lamp-pumped slab power amplifiers and a phase conjugated mirror was developed. The system demonstrates an average output power of 235 W at a repetition rate of 320 Hz and a peak power of 30 MW at a pulse duration of 24 ns with M²=1.5. Both an average brightness of 7×10⁹ W/cm²·sr and a peak brightness of 1×10¹⁵ W/cm2·sr are achieved simultaneously. The system design rules that we confirmed suggest that by replacing lamp pumping in the amplifier with laser-diode pumping, an average output power of ~1 kW can be obtained at ~1 kHz with a higher average brightness of ~3×10¹⁰ W/cm²·sr and a higher peak brightness of ~3×10¹⁵ W/cm²·sr     

Tunable Cr4+:YSO Q-switched Cr:LiCAF laser

Tunable passive Q-switching (781 nm to 806 nm at 300 K) of a flash-lamp pumped Cr³⁺:LiCaAlF₆ (Cr:LiCAF) laser with a Cr⁴⁺:Y₂SiO₅ (Cr⁴⁺:YSO) broad-band solid-state saturable absorber has been realized. Typical pulse widths of the Q-switched laser output ranged from 40 ns to 80 ns, depending on the lasing wavelength. Spectral narrowing and reduced beam diameter with the use of the saturable absorber were observed. The ground state and the excited state absorption cross sections of the Cr⁴⁺:YSO absorber were found by bleaching experiments to be (7.0±1.4)×10^-19 cm² and (2.3±0.5)×10^-19 cm² at 694 nm, respectively. Numerical simulation was utilized to simulate the Cr:LiCAF passive Q-switching with Cr⁴⁺ :YSO solid-state saturable absorber     

Numerical Device Simulation of Double-Heterostructure Organic Laser Diodes Including Current-Induced Absorption Processes

We investigate the impact of induced absorption caused by injected charge carriers and excited states on the threshold current density of an organic laser diode using numerical simulations. The electrical properties of the device are described by a self consistent drift-diffusion model. The optical properties are calculated using a transfer matrix method. Nonradiative annihilation processes are included employing typical rate constants. In our approach, a three-layer double-heterostructure (DH) with typical organic material properties is studied, which exhibits a threshold current density of 564 A/cm². For this virtual device, upper limits for the charge carrier and triplet-triplet absorption cross section sigma_carrier=1.53times10^-3middotsigma_SE and sigmaT ₁ TN=4.34times10^-3middotsigma_SE have been calculated as a function of the stimulated emission cross section sigma_SE. Additionally, the role of device geometry and material properties concerning induced absorptions is studied. It is shown that the impact of absorption processes is not strongly influenced by the device geometry. By increasing the charge carrier mobilities to mu = 2 cm²/Vmiddots in the transport layers and mu = 0.2 cm²/Vmiddots in the emission layer, the impact of polaron absorption can be greatly reduced. In this case, laser operation might still be possible if sigma_carrier and sigma_SE are within the same order of magnitude. Decreasing the triplet lifetime tau T ₁ is a promising way to reduce the impact of triplet-triplet absorption. For sigmaT ₁ TN and sigma_SE being within the same order of magnitude, the triplet lifetime tau T ₁ has to be reduced to 1 ns for laser operation.     

Nonlinear photoemission from organic cathodes excited by a pulsed near-ultraviolet laser

High current density electron beams with fast modulation capability can be generated using laser-driven photoemission. Organic film cathodes having a real intermediate energy level can work in a poor vacuum environment and with near ultraviolet (∼ 350 nm) illumination where temporal formats from CW to picosecond pulse are available. Measured nonlinear photoemission characteristics of several organic films are presented and compared to the response of a rate equation model. Pulse distortions for 5 ns and 5 ps pulses also have been computed. Current densitities above 30 A/cm²for 5 ns, 337 nm pulses have been measured: an increase up to 3 kA/cm³for 5 ps pulses is predicted by the model.     

Supersonic transverse electrical discharge laser

An electrically excited CO2-N2laser has been developed using high repetition rate discharge pulses from a pin electrode array transverse to a supersonic flow. To date volumetric laser power density of 34 W/cm³from a Mach 3 flow at 17-kHz repetition rate and 160-torr static pressure has been achieved. Power densities of at least 150 W/cm³at atmospheric pressure appear possible. The supersonic blowdown facility and electrical pulse generator are described and experimental results are discussed.     

Polycrystalline cubic silicon carbide photoconductive switch

The first cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) photoconductive switches were fabricated from polycrystalline 3C-SiC. The switches had a dark resistivity of 10⁶ Ω/cm. A breakdown field of 250 kV/cm and a peak photocurrent density of 10 kA/cm² through the switch were obtained. The ratio of off-resistance to on-resistance of the switch reached up to 10⁵. The photocurrent had a pulse width as narrow as 15 ns. The trigger gain of the switch was 4.7     

Theoretical simulation of electron-beam-excited xenon-chloride (XeCl) lasers

By developing a comprehensive computer code fore-beam excited XeCl lasers, we studied mainly the effect of Ar and Ne diluents on the performance characteristics of XeCl lasers. According to the analysis of the XeCl* formation process, the XeCl* relaxation process, and the 308 nm absorption process, it is found that the XeCl* formation efficiency is determined mainly by the rate of the charge transfer process (from Ar+ and Ne+ diluent ions to Xe+); in other words, by the difference between ionic potentials of Xe and the diluent gas used. The extraction efficiency is found to be decided mainly by the quenching rate of a three-body reaction for a short-pulse (55 ns) and a high-excitation-rate (∼ 3 MW/cm³) pumping, and by the absorption process for a long-pulse (500 ns) and a low-excitation-rate (∼ 0.2 MW/cm³) pumping. However, note that no appreciable difference in the intrinsic efficiency is found between the Ar/Xe/HCl and Ne/Xe/HCl mixtures. We also analyzed the dependence of the intrinsic XeCl laser efficiency on the pumping pulse width and excitation rate for Ar/Xe/HCl and Ne/Xe/HCl mixtures. As a result, the same intrinsic efficiencies are obtainable for both Ar- and Ne-based mixtures although the optimum operating conditions are slightly different. The maximum intrinsic efficiency of 5 percent is obtainable both for the Ar/Xe/HCl mixture at 3 atm and with 1.5 MW/cm³, 200 ns (FWHM) pumping and for the Ne/Xe/HCl mixture at 4 atm and with 2 MW/cm³, 200 ns (FWHM) pumping.     

Experimental and modeling studies of a Brillouin amplifier

KrF laser-pumped backward Brillouin amplification of nanosecond pulses at 248 nm is investigated both experimentally and numerically. Gain and saturation of the amplifier system are studied for an SF₆ Brillouin medium at pressures of 5 to 15 atm and 24 ns pump pulses at an intensity of ≈9 MW/cm². The input Stokes intensity is varied from 0.001 to 1.0 MW/cm². Power gains of 20 are achieved at energy extraction efficiencies of 40%. Experimental results are compared to a time dependent numerical model of pulse amplification which incorporates arbitrary pump and Stokes pulse shapes and intensities. The effect of laser bandwidth is investigated in the model calculations in order to assess its influence on Brillouin amplification     

Study of the Nd: Glass laser radiation

The Nd:glass laser has become one of the most useful sources of light pulses a few picoseconds in duration. In this paper, we review the results of an extensive study of the time and spectral structure of the Nd:glass laser radiation. The time structure was studied by means of two-photon fluorescence (TPF) patterns: these were scanned by a very thin (28-μ) cell containing the fluorescent dye, the fluorescence being monitored by a photomultiplier. When the Nd:glass laser isQswitched by a rotating mirror or when it is free running, we find TPF patterns fully consistent with a model where the laser emission has the character of Gaussian noise (thermal light), i.e., a model where the modes are randomly phased. When the laser was simultaneouslyQswitched and mode locked we made two observations : 1) the TPF patterns show that the ultra-short pulses observed previously have an overall duration of ∼8 ps, but also possess an internal substructure containing peaks 0.4-0.8 ps in duration; 2) the spectral width of these pulses is <20 cm^-1at the beginning of theQ-switched train and expands to ∼80 cm^-1in the middle of the train. This rapid spectral broadening during pulse buildup is attributed to self-phase modulation in the laser glass matrix due to a nonlinear index n2which we evaluate asn{2}= (2 pm 1) times 10^{-22}m²/V²(or1.8 times 10^{-13}esu). Gain limiting due to this effect and self-focusing become very important at power densities above 1 GW/cm², presenting a serious limitation on the energy density (J/cm²), which one may hope to extract from Nd: glass laser systems.     

Output beam focusability of a Nd:glass zig-zag slab laser

The focusability of a zig-zag optical path laser with a 230×65×5 mm Nd:glass for application to soft X-ray generation is described. A Q-switched laser output energy of 18.3 J with a pulse width of 28 ns was obtained in a phosphate glass LHG-5 (Nd:8 wt.%), with an extraction efficiency of 71% from a stored energy of 26 J at a pumping energy of 4 kJ. The focusability was achieved up to 6.2×10¹² W/cm² in a spot size of 100 μm, which was sufficient intensity to generate soft X-rays for X-ray lithography     

Fabrication of carbon nanomaterials by atmospheric pressure microplasma

Atmospheric pressure microplasma was produced in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) chamber for synthesising carbon nanomaterials. The SEM observation is convenient for both adjusting the gap length and observing the electrode surface before and after experiments. After adjusting the gap length, the electrodes were housed in a small removable gas cell equipped in the SEM chamber and CH₄ discharge gas was introduced into the gas cell. It was found that the discharge was pulsated automatically because of slow discharge through a large ballast resistor and fast discharge through gas breakdown, even though a DC voltage was applied. The peak pulse current density was almost 60 kA/cm², the peak power density in the microplasma volume was approximately 555 MW/cm³ and the pulse width was 10 ns typically. Spherical and nanotube-like carbon nanomaterials were found on the cathode surface after microplasma discharge for 1? 5 s.With the discharge time increasing, the spherical substance changes into nanotube-like carbon nanomaterials.     

Characteristics of organic dye lasers as tunable frequency sources for nanosecond absorption spectroscopy

The properties of 1, 1' diethyl-γ-cyano-2,2'-di-carbocyanine-tetrafluoroborate (DTCDCT)and 1, 1'-diethyl-γ-nitro- 4, 4'-di-carbocyanine-tetrafluoroborate (DTNDCT) lasers have been investigated. High-efficiency (25 percent) spectral narrowing of the normal 150-Å-wide, 2-MW output of DTCDCT (around λ 7600 Å) to <0.01 Å, corresponding to a single longitudinal mode, is achieved with a novel longitudinally pumped (by giant pulse ruby laser) dye laser cavity. Beam divergence is <0.5 mrad, and spectral tunability is obtained by rotating the echelle grating and Fabry-Perot etalon cavity elements. DTNDCT transversely pumped by a mode-locked ruby laser (>150 MW peak power) produces a train of 100 percent modulated mode-locked dye laser pulses whose risetimes (<0.5 ns) and pulse widths (0.6 ns) are detector limited. The production of broad continua for nanosecond absorption spectroscopy is also described, together with measurements on the synchronization of the pumping and dye laser pulses. Finally, the direct spectrographic detection of near-resonant optical-frequency Stark effects in potassium is briefly described. Employing the DTCDCT continuum as absorption source, a red shift of75 times 10^{-3}cm^-1of the λ 7699-Å resonance line was detected for a ruby laser perturbing field of power density ∼ 30 MW/cm^-2.     

A discharge heated copper vapor laser

A simple, reliable copper vapor laser is described with vapor produced by discharge heating. Average output power of 1.3 W has resulted at 6.8 kHz and a specific energy of 39 μJ/cm³. Copper vapor density as high as3 times 10^{16}cm^-3was achieved.     

Room-temperature InAs=AlSb quantum-cascade laser operating at 8.9 /spl mu/m

A room-temperature InAs/AlSb quantum-cascade laser operating at 8.9 mum is reported. The laser structure is grown on an n-InAs (100) substrate by solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy. The active region utilises a diagonal intersubband transition in an InAs/AlSb three-quantum-well structure. Observed threshold current density in pulse mode is 2.6 kA/cm² at 80 K and 12.0 kA/cm² at 300 K. The maximum operation temperature is 305 K