Diode End-pumped Solid-state Lasers Research Articles

Numerical simulation of thermal effects in laser diode end-pumped solid-state lasers utilizing finite element method

Based on the finite element numerical analysis method, the temperature field distribution in the crystal with time is simulated by using the PDE-tool in MATLAB. The critical factors affecting the crystal transient temperature distribution are simulated and analyzed. According to the simulation parameters and results, a simplified method for solving the transient heat conduction equation is proposed. The transient thermal focal length is solved to obtain its distribution expression and an approximate analytical solution. The results provide a theoretical basis for the thermal analysis process of suppressing or utilizing the transient thermal effect in high-energy solid-state lasers.

Digital laser for on-demand intracavity selective excitation of second harmonic higher-order modes.

In this article, we demonstrate selective excitation of second harmonic higher-order modes inside a diode end-pumped solid-state laser resonator that comprises of a nonlinear potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) crystal and a digitally addressed holographic end-mirror in a form of a reflective phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM). The emitted second harmonic higher-order modes at 532 nm are generated by an intracavity nonlinear KTP crystal that is pumped by high-order fundamental modes operating at 1064 nm. The fundamental modes are digitally controlled by displaying a computer-generated hologram in the form of a grey-scale image to the SLM screen for on-demand high-order modes. The phase matching of the fundamental mode to the generated frequency-doubled mode is achieved by controlling the phase of the digital hologram to either achieve a high or quasi-degree of orbital angular momentum conservation. We show that we can intracavity generate frequency-doubled high-order Laguerre-Gaussian modes and Hermit-Gaussian modes that are either quasi or fully reproducible in the far-field. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first laser to generate frequency-doubled on-demand higher-order modes inside the cavity at the visible (green) wavelength of 532 nm.

Finite Element Analysis of Thermal Effects in Diode End-Pumped Solid-State Lasers

Thermal effects are the main obstacle to getting high power and good beam quality in diode end-pumped solid-state lasers. In this work, a theoretical investigation of thermal effects in single and dual end-pumped solid-state lasers is carried out using finite element analysis (FEA) for a selected number of widely used laser producing materials, namely, Nd:YAG, Yb:YAG, and Nd:KGW. Crystals with different dimensions are also investigated both in single and in dual end-pumped configuration. Finally, the effect of using composite crystals on thermal lensing is investigated. An experiment to measure the thermal focal length for two different crystals was carried out and a comparison with FEA computed focal length of the thermal lens is made. In all cases studied in this work, results show clear effects of thermal lensing with some differences depending on crystal type, pump power, and size.

Behavior of threshold pump power of diode end-pumped solid-state lasers in critical cavity configurations

The influence of transverse mode locking in critical cavity configurations on the threshold pump power of diode end-pumped solid-state lasers was investigated both theoretically and experimentally for the large portion of the cavity stability region. An experimental study was performed for lasers based on Nd:YLF, Nd:YVO4, Nd:GdVO4 and Nd:KGW crystals.

Diode Pumped High Peak Power Quasi Q-Switched and Passively Q-Switched Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Lasers at 1064 nm and 532 nm using Cr:YAG and KTP crystals

Diode end-pumped solid-state lasers have the potential to yield high quality laser beams with high efficiency for laser range finding and warning receiver applications as well as day and night military laser designation systems. In this paper we presents theoretical calculations using Advanced Dynamics Professional LASCAD software and experimental studies for a high power pigtailed fiber diode laser module of 8 W operating at 808 nm with a specially designed high efficiency cooling system, end pumped high-efficiency Nd:YVO4 laser of 3 × 3 × 10 mm rod and overall cavity length of 44 mm. To the best of our knowledge a self Q-switching effects was generated in Nd:YVO4 laser by changing the cavity dimensions and the position of the intracavity KTP crystal at certain regime of operation for the first time, in which the cavity length is reduced to be 30 mm and the distance between Nd:YVO4 rod and KTP crystal is only 1mm. Self Q-switched laser pulse at 532 nm with high peak power of 96 W, pulse width of 88 ns at FWHM and repetition rate of 400 kHz was achieved. Experimental studies of a passive Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser using Cr:YAG crystal with three different transmissions of 30%, 40% and 70% were investigated. Passive Q-switched laser pulse at 1064 nm and narrow line width of less than 1.5 nm with highest peak power of nearly 18 kW, short pulse width of less than 4 ns at FWHM and higher repetition rate of 45 kHz using Cr:YAG with transmission of 30% was achieved for the first time.

The thermal effect in diode-end-pumped continuous-wave 914-nm Nd:YVO4 laser

The thermal effect and the heat generation in diode-end-pumped continuous-wave 914-nm Nd:YVO4 lasers are investigated in detail. A theoretical model of a diode end-pumped solid-state laser is constructed to analyse the influence of fractional thermal loading on the thermal effect in the Nd:YVO4 laser based on finite element analysis. The thermal focal lengths and the end-surface deformations of laser rods in Nd:YVO4 quasi-three-level and four-level lasers are measured and compared with the results obtained by ordinary interferometry for the demonstration of higher thermal loading in 914-nm laser. Finally the fractional thermal loading in the Nd:YVO4 quasi-three-level laser is calculated by matching the experimental and the simulated end deformations.

激光二极管端面抽运固体激光器的热效应和热透镜焦距测量

激光二极管端面抽运固体激光器的热效应和热透镜焦距测量

端面抽运固体激光器中抽运端面的直接散热

端面抽运固体激光器中抽运端面的直接散热

脉冲激光二极管端面抽运固体激光器中晶体的热弛豫时间

脉冲激光二极管端面抽运固体激光器中晶体的热弛豫时间

Modeling of Q-switched lasers with top-hat pump beam distribution

For laser diode end-pumped solid-state lasers, the pump beam can be considered to be a Gaussian distribution or a top-hat distribution or between them. The rate equations for Q-switched lasers have been treated before, by considering the pump beam as a Gaussian distribution. This paper deals with the rate equations and the solutions for Q-switched lasers under a top-hat pump beam distribution. The normalized rate equation is obtained and solved numerically. A group of general curves are given and the comparison with the results under the Gaussian pump beam distribution and the plane-wave approximation is made. The results show that the solutions of the rate equations under a top-hat pump beam distribution are different from those under a Gaussian pump beam distribution, but the difference is very small. The solutions of the rate equations under both situations can give much more precise theoretical results than those under the plane-wave approximation.

Analysis and optimization of diode end-pumped solid-state lasers: application to <inline-formula><math display="inline" overflow="scroll"><msup><mrow><mi>Nd</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn><mo>+</mo></mrow></msup><mo>:</mo><msub><mi>YVO</mi><mrow><mn>4</mn></mrow></msub></math></inline-formula> lasers at 1064 and 1342 nm

We describe a systematic procedure that uses experimental and numerical methods to analyze the continuous-wave power performance of diode end-pumped solid-state lasers. For the general case, saturation, excited-state absorption, and thermal lensing effects are considered and integral equations are derived to study the evolution of the pump and laser beams in the gain medium. As an application of the method, we consider two different diode end-pumped Nd3+:YVO4 lasers operating at 1064 and 1342 nm. Experimental efficiency data were first analyzed to determine the stimulated emission cross sections and the resonator losses. The best-fit laser parameters were then used to calculate the optimum crystal length that maximizes the output power of the laser. The described method should prove useful in the design of a wide range of efficient diode-pumped solid-state lasers.

Dynamics of helical-wave emission in a fiber-coupled diode end-pumped solid-state laser

We have generated TEM0,l * modes in an end-pumped microchip laser using a standard fiber-coupled diode. A rich set of dynamic behaviors, such as periodic and quasi-periodic self-modulation, chaotic pulsing and frequency locking was observed in the generated TEM0,l * modes. Experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions that the locking occurs as a subcritical bifurcation and that a region of coexisting locked and unlocked states exists.

Diffraction losses of Nd:YAG and Yb:YAG laser crystals

Based on space-dependent rate equations, the lowest threshold input power for a diode end-pumped solid-state laser is obtained for the pump spot size w p→0. However, as the pump beam waist is decreased, the thermally induced effects in the laser rod would be very high. Diffraction losses caused by radial and tangential variations of refractive index have been analyzed and compared for the Nd : YAG and the Yb : YAG at room temperature ( 300 K ) and liquid-nitrogen temperature ( 77 K ).

Influence of pump beam size on laser diode end-pumped solid state lasers

Based on space-dependent rate equation, the lowest threshold input power for diode end-pumped solid state lasers is obtained for pump spot size w p → 0. However, when the pump beam waist is decreased, the far-field half-angle increases due to the same beam quality, which will influence the match between the pump volume and mode volume. Most importantly, when the pump beam waist is decreased, the temperature and temperature gradient in the laser rod would be very high due to the resulting heat, which would cause material distortion, variation of refractive index, instability of laser resonator etc. We analyze the temperature distributions with different pump beam sizes and conclude that the condition w p ≈ w 0 (the radius of the laser beam at the laser rod) is often taken as a rough guide to the optimum case.

Self-adaptive optical elements for compensation of thermal lensing effects in diode end-pumped solid state lasers — proposal and preliminary experiments

Thermal lensing effects in diode pumped solid state laser media are well known. In general they are disturbing. Only recently they have been exploited successfully as a mechanism for inducing cavity stability in microchip lasers. In this paper, we suggest the exploitation of thermal lensing effects in other elements than the active laser medium itself in order to compensate the thermal lens in the active medium. When using a tolerable fraction of the pump power these devices should provide a self-adaptive and self-aligning compensation means to correct for the thermal lens in diode end-pumped solid state lasers for all pump powers. In a preliminary proof of principle study, a mirror device based on Nd-doped LG-760 has been studied experimentally confirming the estimations.