Design of a tunable parametric wavelength conversion system between 2 and 3 μm pumped by a high-average-power Yb:YAG thin-disk laser

Abstract

With increasing energy densities of laser pulses the laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) testing becomes an important characterization of optical components. The emission wavelength of several laser materials is in the 2 − 3 μm wavelength-range. We propose a wavelength conversion system generating tunable sub-ns pulses for LIDT measurements in this IR spectral range. The pump beam of the conversion system will be based on the thin-disk laser technology. The Yb-fiber-laser seeded CPA system with high-energy Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier will produce uncompressed pulses of 0.5 ns width, 130 mJ energy, at wavelength of 1030 nm with 1 kHz repetition rate giving 130 W of average power. Output of the thin-disk regenerative amplifier will pump an optical parametric generator (OPG) and subsequent optical parametric amplifiers (OPA). The tunable output wavelength of the OPG will be between 1.5 μm - 2.1 μm for the signal beam and between 2.1 μm - 3 μm for the idler beam. The signal will be amplified in the OPAs because the optics and diagnostics is more easily available below 2 μm wavelength. The tunable multi-millijoule source above 2.1 μm will be the idler beam taken from the last amplification stage. High-average output power of 10 W at 1 kHz repetition rate will be unique among 2 − 3 μm tunable systems. Operation of the amplifiers at high-intensities and high-average powers limits the system performance. The thermal load of crystals caused by the partial beam absorption will be studied. Further, the damage threshold of optical components, transmission range of nonlinear crystals, and amplifiers bandwidths will be addressed.