Diode-pumped Laser Operation Research Articles

CW and Q-switched diode-pumped laser operation of Yb3+:NaLa(MoO4)2

Continuous wave (CW) and Q-switched diode-pumped laser operation of Yb3+:NaLa(MoO4)2 single crystal was to our knowledge, demonstrated for the first time. A CW output power of 220 mW and slope efficiency of 46% were obtained. Q-switched laser operation was achieved with a pulse duration of 60 ns average output power of 70 mW and slope efficiency of 22%.

High-power tunable diode-pumped Yb3+:CaF2 laser.

Results of diode-pumped cw laser operation of an Yb3+:CaF2 single crystal are reported for what is to our knowledge the first time. With a 5-at.% Yb3+ -doped sample we obtained 5.8-W output power at 1053 nm for 15 W of incident power at 980 nm. The laser wavelength could be tuned from 1018 to 1072 nm, and a small-signal gain as high as 1.8 was achieved, showing the great potential of Yb3+:CaF2 as an amplifier medium for femtosecond pulses.

An Experimental Comparison of Linear and Parabolic Tapered Waveguide Lasers and a Demonstration of Broad-Stripe Diode Pumping

This paper compares the laser performance of linear and parabolic tapered waveguides in ion-exchanged Nd:Glass, finding significant advantage for the linear guides, with demonstrated adiabatic expansion to widths of 250 /spl mu/m. The characterization of these waveguide lasers by Ti:sapphire pumping is followed by a demonstration of high-power diode-pumped laser operation and a discussion of the optimization of such a scheme for producing high-power integrated-optics laser sources.

105-kW peak-power double-clad fiber laser

A diode-pumped Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser operating in a Q-switched regime is described. By exploiting pulsed pump light and stimulated Brillouin scattering of the gain fiber, a peak power of 105 kW has been demonstrated, which is an order of magnitude greater than that of conventional Q-switched fiber devices. Pulse energy of 0.5 mJ and pulse duration of 5 ns have been achieved.

Zone melting growth of LiSrAlF6:Cr crystals for diode laser pumping

Abstract In this work we demonstrate the growth and the laser operation of high-quality Cr:LiSAF crystals by zone melting method. CrF3 dehydration and oxidation were carefully studied to optimize Cr incorporation in the LiSAF host. The obtained crystals have presented low losses and high laser gain, characteristics that are very suitable for diode-pumped laser operation. We studied the thermal behavior of these crystals during laser action and compared their CW performance with that of a commercial highly doped Czochralski-grown crystal.

Gd3Ga5O12:Nd3+ crystals for a continuous-wave diode-pumped laser operating in 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 and 4F3/2 → 4I13/2 channels

Garnet crystals of the composition Gd3Ga5O12:Nd3+ (concentration series CNd = 1–10 at. %) were grown from flux. In terms of spectroscopy, these crystals, unlike those grown from melts, form medium with a single activator center. For the first time, continuous-wave lasing was excited by diode pumping with the use of Gd3Ga5O12:Nd3+ crystals at the wavelengths λ3 = 1.3315 and λ4 = 1.3370 μm of the 4F3/2 → 4I13/2 channel and also the simultaneous generation at two wavelengths, λ1 = 1.0621 and λ2 = 1.0600 μm, of the 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 channel.

Spectroscopy and laser characteristics of Cr2+-doped chalcogenide crystals — overview and recent results

Cr2+-doped chalcogenide crystals are efficient and broad band tunable solid-state laser materials for the infrared spectral range between 2 and 3 μm. Pulsed, continuous wave, gain-switched, mode-locked and diode-pumped laser operation have been demonstrated in the recent years. Possible applications of these mid-infrared lasers include scientific research, remote sensing, trace gas analysis, medicine, biology, materials processing, and ultrashort pulse generation. In this paper an overview about the material properties and the laser characteristics of these newly developed laser materials will be given, including the recent results.

Passively Q-switched m diode pumped Nd:KGW laser with V:YAG saturable absorber

Abstract Passively Q-switched 1.35 μm diode pumped laser operation in neodymium-doped potassium gadolinium tungstate –KGd(WO4)2:Nd3+ – has been obtained using a vanadium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (V:YAG) bulk crystal as a saturable absorber. Slope efficiency of 15% and maximum average output power of 87 mW at 1100 mW of pump power were achieved. The spectrum of intracavity second harmonic generation has been investigated for both continuous wave and Q-switched operation.

Optical spectroscopy and diode-pumped laser performance of Nd/sup 3+/ in the CNGG crystal

We have exploited the broad absorption and emission bandwidth of the laser crystal Ca/sub 3/(NbGa)/sub 2-x/Ga/sub 3/O/sub 12/ doped with Nd/sup 3+/ to develop a tunable and mode locked diode-pumped 1.06 /spl mu/m laser. We also present the fluorescence and excitation spectra at different crystal temperatures from 10 to 298 K. The spontaneous transition probabilities, the branching ratios, and the radiative lifetime are calculated by means of the Judd-Ofelt theory and compared with the experimental results. The stimulated emission cross-sections of the most important transitions have been calculated and compared with laser results. Employing a 2-W laser diode as a continuous-wave pump source, we have been able to tune the emission wavelength in the range 1053-1074 nm. Active mode-locking yielding pulses of 9.6, 18, and 19.7 ps at the three main emission peaks of 1058.6, 1061.2, and 1065.3 nm, respectively. was also demonstrated.

Laser action in a cw diode-pumped Nd:Ca3Sc2Ge3O12 crystal

CW diode-pumped laser operation of Nd3+ in Ca3Sc2Ge3O12 (CaSGG) single garnet crystal has been demonstrated for the first time. We measured an 18% slope efficiency and 2.7-nm tunability with two different laser cavities. A spectroscopic characterization of our sample has also been performed including the absorption cross section in the 800-nm region and the emission cross section and radiative lifetime of the upper laser level.

Développement de lasers visibles pompés par diode à base de cristaux de Nd [formula omitted]GdCOB autodoubleurs de fréquence

We present the performances of a diode-pumped solid-state laser operating in the visible by self-frequency-doubling. A cw output power of 115 mW at 545 nm has been obtained in a stable concave–concave cavity by using a crystal of Nd:GdCa 4O(BO 3) 3 pumped by a 2 W high-brightness laser diode. In a plano–plano cavity, similar to a microchip laser, we have obtained, for the first time to our knowledge, an output power of 22 mW in the green.

Intracavity frequency-tripling of actively mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

We report the first diode-pumped solid-state laser operating in cw-mode-locked regime and simultaneously achieving intracavity frequency-tripling. This laser provide UV picosecond pulses (λ=355 nm) of 10 ps duration with 0.5 mW average power at 150 MHz repetition rate. A different set of adjustments gave rise to a Q-switched mode-locked regime. Trains of hundred UV pulses of 60 ps duration and 4 W peak power were produced in this latter case at 50 kHz repetition rate.

Direct diode-pumped continuous-wave near-infrared tunable laser operation of Cr^4+:forsterite and Cr^4+:Ca_2GeO_4

Continuous-wave tunable laser operation of direct diode-pumped Cr(4+):Mg(2)SiO(4) (Cr:forsterite) and Cr(4+):Ca(2)GeO(4) (cunyite) crystal were demonstrated. Diode-pumped Cr:forsterite was tunable over the 1236-1300-nm spectral range. The maximum output of 10 mW was measured at 1260 nm for 640 mW of pump power absorbed by the crystal. Diode-pumped laser operation of cunyite was also demonstrated over the 1390-1475-nm range. Free-running 20-mW output was centered at 1410 nm.

Spectroscopic properties and efficient diode-pumped laser operation of neodymium-doped lanthanum scandium borate

We report on the spectroscopic properties and laser performance of Czochralski-grown LaSc/sub 3/(BO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ (LSB) crystals with high neodymium concentrations up to 2.5/spl middot/10/sup 21/ cm/sup -3/. The low-concentration quenching of the upper laser level of neodymium and the polarization dependence of the spectra indicate that LaSc/sub 3/(BO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ crystalizes in a huntite-type structure like Nd/sup 3+/:YAl/sub 3/(BO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ (NYAB). With diode laser pumping at 808 nm, a multimode Nd/sup 3+/:LaSc/sub 3/(BO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ (NLSB) laser at 1063 nm is demonstrated. Optical slope efficiency was 64% with respect to absorbed pump power. The possibility of second-harmonic generation in the laser crystal is discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>