Single Pulse Energy Research Articles

41.6nm/44 fs Mamyshev Yb-doped fiber laser with bound-state solitons and multiple harmonics

A circular Mamyshev Yb-doped fiber laser was experimentally designed, and multiple pulse modes, including single-pulse, bound-state pulse, and harmonic mode-locked pulse, were observed by modulating the seed source and pump power. Single-pulse mode-locking with a single-pulse energy of 68.6 nJ was demonstrated at a repetition frequency of 12.1 MHz with a spectral half-height width of 41.6 nm and a compressed pulse duration of 44 fs. Results were also obtained for bound-state and harmonic mode-locked pulses, both with post-compression pulse durations of less than 100 fs. The experiments provide validation of the dynamics of a wide range of pulses in Mamyshev lasers. These findings have implications for the further exploration and understanding of pulse dynamics within the optical domain.

Passively mode-locking fiber laser based on Cr2Si2Te6 saturable absorber

This paper reports on the generation of third-order harmonic mode-locking, double-pulse phenomena, and conventional solitons in an erbium-doped fiber laser using Cr2Si2Te6 as a saturable absorber (SA). The double-balance probing method was employed to examine the nonlinear characteristics of Cr2Si2Te6-SA. Its modulation depth is 2.35 %, and its saturation intensity is 29.74 MW/cm2. We discovered conventional soliton functioning with a center wavelength of 1561.8 nm at a pump power of 34.76 mW. It has a repetition frequency of 6.76 MHz and a signal-to-noise ratio of 45 dB. As the pump power increased, the traditional soliton was able to maintain its existence in the range of 34.76 mW to 80.96 mW. The maximum output power reaches 1.1 mW when the pump power is 80.96 mW, and the maximum single-pulse energy of the conventional soliton is 0.16 nJ. Furthermore, we observed third-order harmonic mode-locking and double-pulse phenomena at pump outputs of 53.65 mW and 71.16 mW. The experimental findings demonstrate the excellent nonlinear effect of the SA based on Cr2Si2Te6. In ultrashort-pulse fiber lasers, Cr2Si2Te6 nanosheets can be employed as an efficient saturable absorption material.

Ablation efficiency and laser safety of a novel superpulsed thulium fiber laser: a in vitro study.

To assess the ablation efficiency of the Superpulsed Thulium Fiber Laser (SP-TFL) and investigate the thermal effects of SP-TFL. A SP-TFLwas employed to evaluate ablation efficiency. Fresh ex-vivo pig kidneys and ureters were utilized to evaluate the renal pelvis and ureter temperature changes, different irrigation rates(0, 15, 38mL/min) and a long pulse width were used. The research indicated that as laser output power increased, ablation rates significantly increased. Ablation rates(mg/min) were higher and the energy per ablated mass(J/mg) was lower at lower frequencies(10-50Hz). Under the same frequency and single pulse energy, super short and short pulse widths demonstrated higher ablation rates at higher frequencies (exceeding 100Hz). The temperature of the renal pelvis and ureter decreased with increasing irrigation rates. In the renal pelvis, without irrigation, the temperature quickly reached the critical threshold of 43℃. The irrigation rate was 15ml/min and power was no more than 18W, the renal pelvis temperature did not reach 43℃. When the irrigation rate were 38ml/min, the temperature did not risen to 43℃. In the ureter, without irrigation, the temperature also quickly reached 43℃. The temperature reached 43℃ when the power exceeded to12W with an irrigation rate of 15ml/min. With an irrigation rate of 38ml/min, the temperature reached 43℃ at a laser power of 30W. The SP-TFL demonstrated promising ablation effectiveness especially for lower frequencies and super short and short pulse widths model. Proper irrigation rates, single pulse energy, frequency and pulse width are crucial during lithotripsy.

Dissipative soliton resonance in a normal dispersion all-polarization-maintaining thulium-doped fiber laser

We report a first demonstration of dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) in a normal dispersion thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) constructed entirely of polarization-maintaining fibers. A nonlinear fiber loop mirror with a combination of normal and anomalous dispersion fibers inside the loop ensures a self-starting mode-locking operation in the DSR regime. The oscillator generated linearly polarized optical pulses with a fundamental repetition frequency of 5.735 MHz and a nearly constant peak power clamped at ∼ 4.35 W. The pulse duration extends from 217 ps to 6 ns, when the pump power increases from 417 mW to 1.86 W. The maximum average output power of the DSR pulses was 151 mW, corresponding to the single pulse energy of 26 nJ.

High power continuous-wave, Q-switched, and quasi-continuous-wave operation of a diode-pumped Tm,Ho:YAG laser oscillator at 2.09 μm

A high-power diode-pumped 2.09 μm Tm,Ho:YAG laser oscillator with multi-regime operation is demonstrated. In the continuous-wave (CW) regime, it delivers 44.68 W output power with M2 = 3.47, yielding a record-high brightness of 87.57 MW/cm2·sr. In the Q-switched mode, stable laser performance across pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) from 1 kHz to 4 kHz is achieved. At a PRF of 1 kHz, single pulse energy reaches 22.85 mJ with a pulse width of 443.4 ns and M2 = 3.50. In the quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) operation, a pulse energy of 31.85 mJ is obtained at 200 Hz with a 370 μs pulse width and M2 = 4.49. These pulse energies are the highest reported to date for Tm-Ho co-doped laser oscillators at high PRF. This also marks the first demonstration of a versatile 2 μm laser that can operate at room temperature while delivering high-energy, high-repetition-rate pulses in both nanosecond and microsecond durations within a single device, making it highly appealing for scientific and industrial applications.

Optimized-selenization preparation and laser Q-switching characteristics of layered PtSe2

Abstract PtSe2 has high carrier mobility, excellent electrical and optical properties, and high potential in the field of optoelectronic devices. In this paper, the conventional selenization method is optimized and a single-temperature zone preparation is used to prepare large-area and homogeneous PtSe2 thin-film materials on sapphire substrates in a shorter time and at a lower temperature. The prepared sample is characterized by optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Z-scan method. The saturable absorption properties of layered PtSe2 as a passive Q-switched are investigated in a solid-state laser. The results show that the PtSe2 thin film material is synthesized at 400 °C for 1 h to cover the entire one-inch sapphire wafer with a thickness of about 25 nm and the surface roughness is 13.1 nm. The modulation at 1064 nm yielded an output pulse with a maximum repetition frequency of 688.47 kHz, corresponding to a pulse width of 202.5 ns, a peak power of 7.35 W, a single-pulse energy of 1.51 μJ, and a stable pulse train.

1 kHz, 5.3 kW peak power pulse generation from a LiNbO3 acousto-optically Q-switched Er:YAP laser

In this paper, we present, for the first time, a bulk LiNbO3 (LN) acousto-optic (AO) Q-switched Er:YAP laser operating at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 1 kHz. At this frequency, the laser achieves a maximum single pulse energy of 0.34 mJ, with a corresponding pulse duration of 64.5 ns and a peak power of 5.3 kW. Additionally, we characterize the laser beam quality factors, Mx2 = 2.7 and My2 = 2.5, and its central wavelength at 2730.7 nm, all at 1 kHz. These results highlight the significant potential of LN AO Q-switched Er:YAP lasers for enhancing mid-infrared laser applications.

Large-energy operation of an Er-doped fiber laser with ZrGeTe4 saturable absorber

ZrGeTe4 as a layered semiconductor material with good stability and optoelectronic properties, and excellent saturable absorption characteristics, but its application in fiber lasers is still insufficient. In order to explore its application in fiber lasers, we prepared ZrGeTe4-PVA thin film by liquid phase exfoliation and performed a series of characterizations. A modulation depth of 13.15 %, a non-saturated loss of 6.4 %, and a saturation intensity of 5.5 MW/cm2 were obtained. Then used the ZrGeTe4-PVA thin film as the saturable absorber (SA) in an Er-doped fiber laser (EDFL), the large-energy operation could be realized. In the case of a cavity length of 234 m, when the pump power was increased to 1229 mW, a maximum single pulse energy of about 32.72 nJ was achieved, with a repetition frequency of 859 kHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest single-pulse energy achieved in an EDFL based on ZrGeTe4-SA. This experiment shows that the ZrGeTe4 is a promising two-dimensional (2D) material with good nonlinear absorption properties, proving that it is a promising pulse modulation of SA and laying a foundation for its subsequent study in fiber lasers.

Effect of laser scanning frequency on the optical transmittance of the welded area in glass laser welding

Abstract When conventionally laser-welding transparent materials such as glass, researchers often primarily focus on the material’s joint strength, paying scant attention to variations in optical transmittance within the welding zone. However, in fields like biomedical applications, optical characteristics are also pivotal in characterizing the efficacy of welding. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between scanning frequency and optical transmittance during laser welding. The findings indicate that a laser single pulse energy of 14.73 μJ, a repetition frequency of 500 kHz, a scanning speed of 600 mm/s, and an optimal scanning frequency of 45 times yielded the highest optical transmittance in the welding area. This resulted in a 13% increase in transmittance compared to stacking two glass pieces.

Realization of Joints of Aluminosilicate Glass and 6061 Aluminum Alloy via Picosecond Laser Welding without Optical Contact.

To achieve laser direct welding of glass and metal without optical contact is hard, owing to the large difference in thermal expansion and thermal conductivity between glass and metal and an insignificant melting area. In this study, the high-power picosecond pulsed laser was selected to successfully weld the aluminosilicate glass/6061 aluminum alloy with a gap of 35 ± 5 μm between glass and metal. The results show that the molten glass and metal diffuse and mix at the interface. No defects such as microcracks or holes are observed in the diffusion mixing zone. Due to the relatively large gap, the glass collapsed after melting and caulking, resulting in an approximately arc-shaped microcrack between modified glass and unmodified glass or weakly modified glass. The shape of the glass modification zone and thermal accumulation are influenced by the single-pulse energy and linear energy density of the picosecond laser during welding, resulting in variations in the number and size of defects and the shape of the glass modification zone. By reasonably tuning the two factors, the shear strength of the joint reaches 15.98 MPa. The diffusion and mixing at the interface and the mechanical interlocking effect of the glass modification zone are the main reasons for achieving a high shear strength of the joint. This study will provide reference and new ideas for the laser transmission welding of glass and metal in the non-optical contact conditions.

Controllable Preparation of Fused Silica Micro Lens Array through Femtosecond Laser Penetration-Induced Modification Assisted Wet Etching.

As an integrable micro-optical device, micro lens arrays (MLAs) have significant applications in modern optical imaging, new energy technology, and advanced displays. In order to reduce the impact of laser modification on wet etching, we propose a technique of femtosecond laser penetration-induced modification-assisted wet etching (FLIPM-WE), which avoids the influence of previous modification layers on subsequent laser pulses and effectively improves the controllability of lens array preparation. We conducted a detailed study on the effects of the laser single pulse energy, pulse number, and hydrofluoric acid etching duration on the morphology of micro lenses and obtained the optimal process parameters. Ultimately, two types of fused silica micro lens arrays with different focal lengths but the same numerical aperture (NA = 0.458) were fabricated using the FLPIM-WE technology. Both arrays exhibited excellent geometric consistency and surface quality (Ra~30 nm). Moreover, they achieved clear imaging at various magnifications with an adjustment range of 1.3×~3.0×. This provides potential technical support for special micro-optical systems.

Influences of single-pulse energy distribution on WEDM cutting efficiency

ABSTRACT In wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), cutting efficiency is a significant process index whose improvement has always been the research focus. Among the many factors affecting cutting efficiency, discharge energy is the most important factor. Different energy distribution form pulses were obtained by changing the peak currents at single-pulse different discharge stages. Through single-pulse discharge experiments, pulse energy distribution how to impact discharge channel motion characteristics was studied. When the energy distribution is changed through gradually increasing the peak current, an outward-pointing pressure difference will be formed inside the channel, which provides a driving force for the channel to move faster, accelerating the material erosion rate and increasing the discharge crater surface size. The cutting results reveal consistent variations in the cutting efficiency and surface size of individual discharge crater with the pulse energy distribution form. Through changing single-pulse energy distribution, the cutting efficiency can be improved by about 21%.

Compact 2-μm Hundred Hertz optical parametric oscillator Based on KTP crystal

A 100 Hz compact 2 μm optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on a type II non-critically phase-matched KTiOPO4 crystal (KTP) was reported. The monolithic KTP crystal was pumped with a passively Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. At a repetition rate of 100 Hz and a single pulse energy of 5.8 mJ of pump light, a 2128-nm laser output was achieved with a maximum of 1.17 mJ of parametric light at the degenerate point, with a parametric light pulse width of approximately 10.5 ns, corresponding to a pump to parametric light conversion efficiency of 20.1 %.

Design and optimization of handheld alloy analysis instrument based on microjoule high pulse repetition frequency LIBS.

We briefly describe the design of a handheld metal detection instrument based on microjoule high repetition frequency laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The instrument uses a Raspberry Pi as the control core and a laser with a frequency of 10kHz and a single pulse energy of 100 µJ as the excitation source. In addition, a mini-putter is built into the instrument to move the laser, allowing the ablation of the sample surface line area without external auxiliary equipment. The excitation-generated plasma radiation is collected by a simple optical path and transmitted directly to the spectrometer. We also constructed and trained a Backpropagation Artificial Neural Network (BP-ANN) model based on 12 different grades of alloys and transplanted the feedback process of the BP-ANN to the Raspberry Pi, which realized the rapid classification of the 12 alloys with >95% classification accuracy on the handheld instrument.

Concept for power scaling by harmonic beam coaxial combination in an intra-cavity frequency doubling laser.

A new method of harmonic beam coaxial combination (HBCC) from two intra-cavity frequency doubling branches was demonstrated. Firstly, two identical nanosecond (ns) 532 nm green lasers with high power and good beam quality were created. Each green laser was constructed of an intra-cavity frequency doubling branch based on a laser diode (LD) end-pumped acousto-optical (AO) Q-switched 1064 nm Nd:YVO4 laser in a LiB3O5 (LBO) nonlinear crystal. Each branch generated about 45 W green output at a 50 kHz pulse repetition rate (PRR) with diffraction limited beam quality. The first green beam was injected into the LBO crystal in the second branch, and the pulses from the two branches did not exist simultaneously. Then, the HBCC was performed. Consequently, an 83 W combined green output power at 532 nm was obtained with a combination efficiency of 92.2%. The PRR of the HBCC pulse was doubled to be 100 kHz, with a pulse width of about 22 ns, corresponding to a single pulse energy of 0.83 mJ and a peak power of 37.73 kW. The combined beam quality factor was measured to be M x2 = 1.80 in the x direction and M y2 = 1.71 in the y direction, respectively. Moreover, many more beams could also be combined with this method for further scaling the green power.

Generation of high-energy self-mode-locked pulses in a Tm-doped fiber laser

The incorporation of a material-based or artificial saturable absorber into a fiber laser cavity imposes a limitation on energy enhancement owing to its low damage threshold and high environmental sensitivity. To address this issue, one promising alternative approach is the utilization of the self-mode-locking technique. Here, we present a robust self-mode-locked Tm-doped fiber laser with high pulse energy emission. A simple and compact fiber laser structure is realized by utilizing a section of a Tm-doped fiber, serving both as a gain medium and a saturable absorber. Thus, the operational stability is enhanced, especially under high-energy conditions. Furthermore, the realization of high-energy pulses is accomplished through the integration of dispersion management technique. Experimental results reveal that the maximum single-pulse energy increases from 34.8 pJ to 120.2 nJ as the round-trip group delay dispersion decreases from −0.43 to −12.40 ps2. The proposed self-mode-locked Tm-doped fiber laser under high-energy operation exhibits remarkable performance. Our results provide a simple approach to obtaining a mid-infrared laser source with high pulse energy and hold significant potential for advancing high-energy laser systems.

Few-layer NbTe2 nanosheets-based saturable absorber for generating 176 fs pulse at 1 μm in ultrafast fiber laser

Ultrafast fiber lasers play an increasingly vital role in diverse fields of science and industry. In this study, a novel NbTe2 nanosheet-based saturable absorber (SA) was prepared by using liquid phase exfoliation and flame brush technology for the first time. Using a twin balance measurement system, the nonlinear optical absorption property was checked. It was found that the fabricated NbTe2 nanosheets-based SA has excellent saturable absorption properties with a large modulation depth of 5.3 %, a very high saturation intensity of 1.11 GW/cm2, and a low non-saturation loss of 63.6 %. After inserting the NbTe2 nanosheets-based SA into a ring-cavity ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL), a stable soliton mode-locking state was achieved. A 176-fs ultrafast soliton pulse train was successfully generated at 1029.76 nm with the repetition rater of 3.097 MHz. Thanks to the unique and very high saturation intensity of NbTe2 nanosheets, the proposed YDFL system achieved a maximum peak power of 96.3 kW and a single pulse energy of 14.09 nJ under 370 mW pump power. These findings indicate that NbTe2 nanosheets have great potential for generating ultra-short optical pulses with higher peak power in mode-locked fiber lasers.

Study on the soft magnetic properties, corrosion, and wear resistance of Ni–Co–W coatings deposited via laser-assisted electrochemical technique: Potential applications in advanced electromagnetic devices

Ni–Co–W alloy possesses several advantages, including exceptional hardness, outstanding wear resistance, and remarkable high-temperature resistance. The coating exhibits favorable soft magnetic performance when the Co content is high. This study combines the introduction of Co element and laser irradiation to explore the changing mechanisms in the soft magnetic properties, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance. Coatings are electrochemically deposited on copper substrates employing a pulsed current, and a Ni–Co–W coating is assisted-deposited utilizing a picosecond laser with a single pulse energy of 10μJ. The experimental results reveal that when 12 g/L of CoSO4·7 H2O is added to the electrolyte, the Co elements significantly improve the soft magnetic properties of the Ni–Co–W alloy. Meanwhile, the reduction of WO42− is also promoted and the W content is increased (nearly 2.6 times, 1.95 Wt%), thereby obtaining microhardness, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance superior to Ni–W. Laser irradiation effectively increases the W content (nearly 2.3 times, 4.52 Wt%) while reducing surface defect. The increased W content alters the internal crystal structure and refines the grain. Moreover, laser irradiation significantly improves the soft magnetic properties (a 33.17 % increase in Ms, a 12.97 % increase in Hc, and a 5.66 % increase in Mr). This study achieves soft magnetic coatings with excellent corrosion and wear resistance through a laser electrochemical deposition process. It provides new processing ideas and methods for preparing soft magnetic alloy coatings and has broad application prospects in magnetic thin film storage devices and high-frequency electromagnetic devices.

Time- and angular-distribution of ion current in pulse-laser ablation plume of aluminum

Thrust generation through pulse-laser ablation has been proposed for use in propulsion systems in space. However, to achieve a high thrust performance, the energy efficiency must be improved and it is important to determine the behavior of the ablation plume to identify where energy losses occur. In this study, the ion-current distribution of a plume with aluminum ablation was measured. A neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser with a wavelength and pulse width of 1064 nm and 9 ± 2 ns, respectively, was used for the ablation. Experiments were conducted at three different fluences: 10, 15, and 20 J/cm2. The fluence was varied in two ways: changing the beam-spot diameter while maintaining the single-pulse energy and changing the single-pulse energy while maintaining the beam-spot diameter. The ion current was measured at various angles using Faraday probes. The generated impulse and reduction mass were also measured. By combining and analyzing the results, the divergence angle of momentum, mean valence of ablated aluminum, and energy efficiencies of several processes were estimated.

Elucidating the transfer dynamics of high-viscosity silver paste for laser-induced forward transfer of continuous line

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), as an innovative 3D direct-write method, has been increasingly applied for various material printing in many applications. Elucidating the transfer process of paste is crucial to manipulate the printing quality. In this work, the transfer dynamics of high-viscosity silver paste in LIFT of continuous line was systematically investigated based on the cumulative effect from images obtained over hundreds of laser pulses. The influences of process parameters, including the laser energy input (single pulse energy, repetition frequency, and scanning speed) and the thickness of paste film, on the bump height and expansion velocity of bump front were analyzed. With increasing the single pulse energy or repetition frequency, or decreasing the scanning speed or film thickness, the evolution of bump morphology and sputtering varies from just a tiny bump with no sputtering, to a moderate-sized bump with a small amount of sputtering and rebounding, and further to a large bump with intense sputtering and rebounding. A non-dimensional group in terms of Reynolds and Weber numbers was proposed to categorize different evolution regimes and claim the physical mechanism on LIFT of continuous line. When the Reynolds number is greater than 0.01 and the Weber number is greater than 0.1, the inertial effect is sufficient to resist the viscous and capillary effects, inducing the paste to bulge and transfer downwards. A moderate-sized bump with no visibly fragmented sputtering is desirable for the transfer of continuous grid lines. The forming status of grid lines can be predicted according to the behavior of paste transfer, and the predicted grid line state agrees well with the actual state. This can provide process and theoretical references for printing continuous grid lines with LIFT.