Master Oscillator Power Amplifier System Research Articles

Single polarization picosecond fiber MOPA power scaled to beyond 500 W

We demonstrate a gain-switched diode-seeded, ytterbium-doped fiber based master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, capable of delivering 2.4 μJ, 35 ps pulses at a repetition frequency of 215 MHz in a single-polarization, close to diffraction limited beam. We are aware that the corresponding average power of > 500 W is a record for such a MOPA system. Further pulse energy scaling was limited primarily by the onset of nonlinear effects such as self-phase modulation and stimulated Raman scattering which led to a compromised pulse quality at higher peak powers (> 70 kW).

A high energy nanosecond cryogenic cooled Yb:YAG active-mirror amplifier system

Abstract A diode-pumped master oscillator power amplifier system based on a cryogenic Yb:YAG active-mirror laser has been developed. The performances of the laser amplifier at low temperature and room temperature have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. A maximum output energy of 3.05 J with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 14.7% has been achieved by using the master amplifier system.

High Brightness 556 nm Laser by Frequency Doubling of a 1112 nm Nd:YAG Laser

We demonstrate an efficient high power and high brightness yellow-green 556-nm laser generated from second harmonic generation (SHG) of a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) laser system at 1112 nm. The oscillator was a pulsed laser diode (LD) pumped and Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1112 nm operated at TEM <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">00</sub> mode with an average output power of 35 W, providing 200-μs long macropulses and constituting 700-ns micropulses. The seed laser was amplified by two LD side-pumped Nd:YAG amplifiers and the MOPA system delivered a maximum output power of 78 W. Using a type-I phase-matching lithium triborate nonlinear crystal, the SHG maximum output power of 48 W was obtained at 556 nm with a conversion efficiency as high as 61.5%. The beam quality factor was measured to be M <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> = 1.53 and the corresponding brightness was as high as 6.63 × 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">9</sup> W/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ·sr.

Tunable deep ultraviolet single-longitudinal-mode laser generated with Ba_1-xB_2-y-zO_4Si_xAl_yGa_z crystal

We report a new nonlinear crystal, Ba(1-x)B(2-y-z)O4Si(x)Al(y)Ga(z), and employ it to a compact 1 kHz single-longitudinal-mode Ti:Sapphire master oscillator power amplifier system for fourth harmonic generation. A maximum output power of 130 mW is obtained in the tunable range of 195-205 nm with linewidth of less than 0.1 pm.

Thirteen watt all-fiber mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a single mode ZBLAN fiber pumped by a 2 μm MOPA system

All-fiber-integrated mid-infrared (mid-IR) supercontinuum (SC) generation in a single mode ZBLAN (ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF) fiber with 13 W average output power and a spectrum extending from ∼1.9 to 4.3 μm is reported, which we believe is the highest output power for mid-IR SC generation in ZBLAN fibers. The overall optical conversion efficiency from the 790 nm pump light of the last stage Tm-doped fiber (TDF) amplifier to the total SC output was 20%, and the SC power for wavelengths longer than 2.5 μm was 6.85 W with a power ratio of 52.69% with respect to the total SC power. The mid-IR SC generation in ZBLAN fiber was pumped by a 2 μm master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, which is also very appropriate for high power 2-2.5 μm region SC generation. We also demonstrate high efficiency SC generation in the TDF amplifier with 62.1 W average power, 39.8% optical efficiency, and a spectrum extending from 1.9 to 2.7 μm.

Amplification characteristics of a cryogenic Yb3+:YAG total-reflection active-mirror laser

We have studied the amplification characteristics of a cryogenically cooled Yb³⁺:YAG total-reflection active-mirror (TRAM) ceramic laser including wavefront distortion, birefringence loss, small signal gain (SSG), and temperature rise for developing high-performance master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) systems. A 0.6 mm thick Yb³⁺:YAG ceramic sample was used, and maximum pump intensity ~10 kW/cm² was reached. The transmitted wavefront was measured by using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, and we evaluated the thermal lens focal length and Strehl ratio for different pump conditions. We have also observed a butterfly-like leakage profile of thermally induced birefringence loss at the maximum pump intensity. From SSG measurements, we obtained moderate laser gain of G=3 for one bounce with a near aberration-free wavefront. Gain calculations, which included also temperature dependence of the emission cross section and reabsorption of Yb³⁺:YAG, were in good agreement with the experiments. These experimental results will be useful as benchmark data for numerical simulations of temperature distribution in TRAM and for designing multikilowatt-class high-performance MOPA systems.

High-energy diode-seeded nanosecond 2 μm fiber MOPA systems incorporating active pulse shaping

We report on high-energy nanosecond-pulsed fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) systems seeded by semiconductor laser diodes at 2μm incorporating arbitrary pulse-shaping capabilities. Two MOPA systems, one based on direct diode modulation and the second using additional electro-optic modulator (EOM) based shaping, are investigated, with up to 0.5mJ (25kHz) and 1.0mJ (12.5kHz) pulse energies achieved, respectively, for 100ns pulses with user-defined pulse shapes. Our results indicate that further energy scaling with shaped output pulses is primarily limited by the maximum pulse peak power available from the seed laser diode and the dynamic range offered by the first generation of EOMs at 2μm.

High power broadband continuum source based on an all-PM-fiber master oscillator nonlinear power amplifier

In an all-polarization-maintaining-fiber master oscillator power amplifier system at 1064 nm under all normal dispersion, intense nanosecond emission was generated with spectral broadening from 980 to 1600 nm. In such a fiber nonlinear power amplifier, efficient power scaling is able to be free from significant depletion because both laser amplification and nonlinear conversion are simultaneously employed. As a result, output peak power up to 117 kW with a pulse energy of 1.2 mJ is generated with a maximum core intensity of 30 GW cm−2. In addition, the conversion efficiency is 66% for a pulse duration of 6.1 ns at the moderate repetition of 20 kHz. The output level is close to the damage threshold for long-term operation. The onset and interplay of constituted fiber nonlinearities can be addressed, especially from single mode to a few modes, stage by stage. Furthermore, the seeding influence on the spectral broadening reveals its versatility for enabling many potential applications. For seeding by a highly controlled diode laser at the nanojoule level, a double-pass preamplifier significantly improves the energy extraction, resulting in a high input level for an efficient nonlinear power amplifier. Such a linearly polarized light source composed of an intense 1064 nm pump and a broad sideband seed is beneficial for efficiently driving broadband tunable optical parametric amplification.

High peak-power mid-infrared ZnGeP_2 optical parametric oscillator pumped by a Tm:fiber master oscillator power amplifier system

We report on the utilization of a novel Tm:fiber laser source for mid-IR ZnGeP2 (ZGP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumping. The pump laser is built in a master oscillator power-amplifier configuration delivering up to 3.36 W of polarized, diffraction limited output power with 7 ns pulse duration and 4 kHz repetition rate. This corresponds to a peak power of ∼121 kW and a pulse energy of ∼0.84 mJ. With this source, we generated 27.9 kW of total mid-IR peak power in a doubly resonant oscillator (DRO) configuration. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest ever demonstrated mid-IR peak power from a directly Tm:fiber laser pumped ZGP OPO. Moreover, a DRO output with about 284 μJ of total mid-IR pulse energy was demonstrated using 100 ns pump pulses. The wavelength tuning of the idler was extended to 6 μm with lower output power in another OPO experiment.

Wavelength stabilized ns-MOPA diode laser system with 16 W peak power and a spectral line width below 10 pm

A master oscillator power amplifier system for the generation of ns-pulses with high peak power, stabilized wavelength and narrow spectral line width will be presented. The master oscillator is a distributed feedback (DFB) ridge waveguide (RW) laser. The tapered amplifier consists of three RW sections and one flared gain-guided section. The DFB laser is operated in continuous wave mode and emits at 1064 nm with a spectral line width below 10 pm. One RW section of the amplifier acts as an optical gate for pulse selection. The tapered section amplifies the generated optical pulse. By adjusting the delay time between the current pulses injected into the picker and into the tapered section, respectively, the power of the amplified spontaneous emission was reduced below 1% of the average laser power. For an optical pulse length of 2 ns, a peak power of 16 W was obtained. A side mode suppression ratio better than 46 dB was observed.

High-power supercontinuum generation in a ZBLAN fiber with very efficient power distribution toward the mid-infrared

We report high-power supercontinuum (SC) generation in a step-index fluorozirconate (ZBLAN) fiber with a zero-dispersion wavelength shifted to ~1.9 μm. Pumping the fluoride fiber with 2.75 W of power provided by a thulium-doped fiber amplifier, a continuous spectrum extending from ~0.85 to 4.2 μm with 2.24 W of average output power was achieved. Over 61% (1.37 W) of the total output power corresponds to wavelengths longer than 3 μm, which shows, to the best of our knowledge, the highest power conversion efficiency toward the mid-IR spectral band in relation to the output spectrum width. A linear SC power scalability up to 5.24 W, with a spectral band of ~0.9-4 μm, with repetition rate and pump power provided by a 1.55 μm fiber master-oscillator power amplifier system, is also demonstrated.

Development of copper bromide laser master oscillator power amplifier system

Development of master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system of copper bromide laser (CBL) operating at 110 W average power is reported. The spectral distribution of power at green (510.6 nm) and yellow (578.2 nm) components in the output of a copper bromide laser is studied as a function of operating parameters. The electrical input power was varied from 2.6 to 4.3 kW, the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) was changed from 16 to 19 kHz, and the pressure of the buffer gas (neon) was kept fixed at 20 mbar. When the electrical input power was increased to 4.3 kW from 2.6 kW, the tube-wall temperature also increased to 488°C from 426°C but the ratio of the green to yellow power decreased to 1.53 from 3.73. The ratio of green to yellow power decreased to 1.53 from 1.63 when the PRF of the laser was increased to 19 kHz from 16 kHz. These observations are explained in terms of electron temperature, energy levels of transitions, and voltage and current waveforms across the laser head.

Nd:YAG laser/KTiOAsO4 (KTA) OPO system for laser ultrasound measurements on carbon-fiber-reinforced composite materials

We report on a 3.3 μm laser/optical parametric oscillator system with 4.7 mJ pulse energy for laser ultrasound measurements of carbon-fiber-reinforced materials. The OPO was pumped by a compact diode-pumped Nd:YAG master-oscillator power-amplifier system with two amplifier stages. First results of laser ultrasound measurements are presented.

侧面泵浦主振荡功率放大器中的光束质量提高

侧面泵浦主振荡功率放大器中的光束质量提高

High power diode-side-pumped 1 112-nm Nd:YAG laser based on master-oscillator power-amplifier system

We demonstrate a high power high beam quality diode-pumped 1 112-nm Nd:YAG master-oscillator poweramplifier (MOPA) laser system. To increase the extraction efficiency and output power, a four-pass amplifier scheme is employed. Finally, the injected laser output power is amplified from 26 to 64 W with beam quality factor M2=2.85. Furthermore, a theoretical model that takes the temporal overlap inversion number dynamics into account is employed to analyze the performance of the MOPA laser system, and a good agreement with the experimental data is obtained.

51.5 W monolithic single frequency 1.97 m Tm-doped fiber amplifier

AbstractWe demonstrate a monolithic single frequency Tm-doped fiber amplifier with output power of 51.5 W. A single frequency fiber laser at 1.97 $\mathrm {\mu} $m is amplified by a cascaded master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system with all-fiber configuration. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of the main fiber amplifier is 45%. No amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) or stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect is observed in the fiber amplifier. The output power could be further scaled by launching more pump power.

High average power supercontinuum generation in a fluoroindate fiber

We report the first demonstration of Watt-level supercontinuum (SC) generation in a step-index fluoroindate (InF3) fiber pumped by a 1.55 μm fiber master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system. The SC is generated in two steps: first ∼1 ns amplified laser diode pulses are broken up into soliton-like sub-pulses leading to initial spectrum extension and then launched into a fluoride fiber to obtain further spectral broadening. The pump MOPA system can operate at a changeable repetition frequency delivering up to 19.2 W of average power at 2 MHz. When the 8-m long InF3 fiber was pumped with 7.54 W at 420 kHz, output average SC power as high as 2.09 W with 27.8% of slope efficiency was recorded. The achieved SC spectrum spread from 1 to 3.05 μm.

Efficient UV generation of a Yb-fiber MOPA producing high peak power for pulse durations of from 100 ps to 2 ns

We demonstrate an average ultraviolet (UV) power generation of 20 W by harmonically converting the output of an all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system. The third-harmonic generation (THG) UV output provides a conversion efficiency of 40% from the amplified fundamental output. The seed source, which consists of a 1064-nm-wavelength continuous-wave laser diode and two cascaded intensity modulators, produces chirp-free pulses with tunable durations from 100 ps to 2 ns at arbitrary repetition rates and a high dynamic extinction ratio. The fiber MOPA system generates a maximum average power of 50 W and a maximum peak power of 83 kW.

200 W Diffraction limited, single-polarization, all-fiber picosecond MOPA

A fully fiberized, single-polarization, gain-switched diode-seeded fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system is demonstrated delivering 28 ps pulses at variable repetition frequencies ranging from 53 MHz up to 858 MHz. An average signal output power of 200 W was achieved with good OSNR for all operating frequencies. A maximum pulse energy of 3.23 μJ at a repetition frequency of 53 MHz was achieved, corresponding to a pulse peak power of 107 kW. The extraction of higher pulse energy was limited primarily by the onset of nonlinear effects such as SRS which lead to compromised pulse quality at higher peak powers.

High-power all-fiberized thulium-doped fiber MOPA

We demonstrate a high-power all-fiberized thulium-doped fiber laser in a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) architecture giving output powers up to 100.4 W. A large-mode-area double-clad active fiber is employed as the gain medium. The laser is pumped by pigtailed laser diodes (LD) with a central wavelength of 792 nm. The slope efficiency of the MOPA system is about 56%. No obvious amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is observed in the experiment and higher powers can be obtained straightforwardly by scaling the pump power.