Pressure dependence of small signal gain and saturation intensity of a gold-vapor laser using various buffer gases in gain medium

A pair of gold-vapor laser (627.8 nm) in an oscillator-amplifier configuration was used to investigate the small signal gain, g₀, and saturation intensity, I_s, as amplifying parameters, versus pressure at various types of buffer gas. It was shown that the small signal gain decreases and saturation intensity increases linearly with increasing the pressure. Moreover, the values of these parameters are different using various gas mixtures in gain medium. Both parameters were estimated to be more at helium buffer gas atmosphere than that of neon or their mixed ones.     

A two dimensional theoretical model for describing gain coefficient in N2-lasers and the model validity for CVL and excimer lasers

Based on our previously reported measurements on the gain-value in a N₂- laser and numerical calculations, we introduce a method to obtain an analytical expression for the small signal gain, g₀, where the dependency of g₀ on the laser geometrical configuration, including electrodes length and gap separation, is demonstrated. For this study one- and two-dimensional approaches for the photon density have been applied independently to determine gain-parameter, where for explaining the observed dependency of the gain-parameter on the laser electrodes separation, d_AMP, which was found experimentally and explained by an empirical expression of the type g₀ = r + q/d_AMP, with r and q some constants, realization of introducing an extra dimension along the gap separation was unavoidable. For the electrodes length, l_AMP, we have already shown that an empirical equation of the type g₀ = m + n/l_AMP, with m and n some constants, is consistent with the measurements corresponding to N₂-lasers. With this realization, it is proved that the gain-parameter in N₂-lasers can be written as g₀^{above threshold} = m″ + g_0z(γ_L^z, z) + g_0y(γ_L^y, y), where it consists of two independent gain-values along the electrodes length (z) and gap separation (y) with the corresponding power losses given by γ_L^z and γ_L^y. m″ is a very small quantity showing that laser is operating slightly above the threshold. The results of this calculation are consistent with our recent measurements and also other reported N₂-laser gain values measured under moderate current density conditions. To check the validity of the model for other types of lasers, the reported gain-values for copper vapor lasers of different laser tube radii, R_AMP, and tube lengths, l_AMP, have been examined using the one-dimensional model of either g₀(R_AMP) or g₀(l_AMP) and the consistency with the observed measurements was found to be quite satisfactory. The model was also found to be valid for the excimer lasers of different types, different gas mixtures and pressures at a constant input operational voltage. Due to limited numbers of the reported experimental measurements, for the graphs preparation of g₀(l_AMP) in excimer lasers we used the observed data at V₀ = 30 kV and also some variations of the input voltages in the range of ΔV ≅ 20 kV have been adopted. The results for both cases were found to be consistent with the proposed one-dimensional model.     

Dependences of small-signal gain and saturation-energy intensity on laser active length, buffer-gas type, and pressure variations in gold-vapor lasers

We measure the small-signal gain coefficient g ₀ and the saturation-energy intensity E _s of a gold-vapor laser by implementing an oscillator-amplifier on the base of the gold-vapor laser. The dependence of the gain and saturation properties of the laser on the length of the laser active medium, the buffer-gas pressure, and the buffer-gas type are studied. The measurements of g ₀ for the amplifier for different lengths of the laser active medium (60 and 75 cm) show that with increase in the active-medium length, g ₀ increases while E _s, vice versa, decreases. Such behavior of g ₀ and E _s is observed in the whole range of changing the total pressure of buffer gas in the He-Ne mixture.     

Nitrogen lasers: Optical devices of variable gain coefficient

A N₂-laser system, consists of an oscillator and an amplifier of different electrode lengths, ranged from 5 to 31 cm, operating under the optimized gas pressures conditions and 14 kV input voltage, was used to measure small signal gain, g₀, and saturation energy density, E_s. It was found that g₀-parameter follows a profile of the type m + n/l_AMP, where l_AMP is the effective electrode length of the laser amplifier, and (m, n) are some constants. So, by reducing the active length a gain value as high as ∼1.2 cm⁻¹ for l_AMP = 5 cm was obtained. The proposed function, with a rather good approximation, can be used to explain almost all the reported g₀-values of laser systems with moderate current densities. For explaining more details of the reported gain coefficients, the g₀l_AMP-parameter was introduced, where it was realized that with a good approximation a Gaussian profile is a suitable function for explaining the reported g₀l_AMP-products. Furthermore, we found that at a constant input voltage the saturation energy density and output energy density, E_out, regardless of the type of N₂-lasers and their operational conditions, are linearly correlated. Based on this observation, and by operating the system at different input voltages, the functional dependence of the measured E_s/E_out-values with respect to the operational voltages is introduced. Details of our present observations, along with the previously reported g₀, and E_s-measurements are presented graphically, or tabulated. The results are giving some interesting features of TE/TEA N₂-lasers for lasers g₀, E_s predictions which are valuable for laser designs and also for further theoretical investigations.     

Nitrogen lasers, optical devices of variable gain coefficient: Theoretical considerations

Based on our previous measurements on the gain values by employing an oscillator amplifier (OSC-AMP) N₂-laser system of variable AMP electrode lengths, a calculation has been made for evaluation of the gain coefficient using rate equations. It is shown both numerically and analytically that small signal gain, g₀, is following our experimental observations of g₀=m+n/l_AMP, where m and n are some constants, and l_AMP is the length of the amplifier. For simplifying the calculation in the OCS-AMP circuit, an experimental condition of imposing the OSC-open-circuit operation has been applied, where the voltage waveforms from the relevant sections of the Blumlein circuit have been used for evaluation of the circuit parameters. Due to the fact that during the past years different cross-sections for the electron-impact excitations from the ground to the upper, N₂(C), and lower, N₂(B), have been introduced, our experimental observations have also been applied to examine the effect of introduced electron impact-excitation cross-sections on the g₀(l_AMP) behavior.     

Influence of inert and molecular gas impurities on the lasing efficiency of a neon-hydrogen plasma laser operating at λ=585.3 nm He

A study has been made of the effect that inert and molecular gas impurities (He, Ar, Kr, Xe, N₂, CO₂) have on the lasing efficiency of a Penning plasma laser operating at =585.3 nm Hel in an Ne-H₂ mixture excited in a longitudinal discharge. The optimal compositions found for ternary mixtures can substantially increase the laser output parameters. The lasing power gain obtained in an Ne-H₂-Ar mixture is more than an order of magnitude higher than that in an Ne-H₂ mixture.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 54–59, April, 1996.     

Suppression of laser noise in CW 337μm HCN lasers

In a d.c.-discharge-excited 337 μm HCN laser, amplitude laser noise has been observed at the frequency range of 30 kHz to 1 MHz. The laser noise is classified into three types; oscillation noise having sharp peaks, broadly distributed noise having a center frequency and 1/f-noise. Characteristics of the laser noise have been studied experimentally. The laser noise is caused by small oscillation which appears on d.c.-discharge current and by random fluctuations of current and plasma density. The laser noise has been suppressed more than 30 dB by adjusting the laser parameters such as discharge current, pressure and flow rates of mixed gas (CH4₄ + N₂ + He) and added He.     

Polarization-dependent gain and saturation energy density in a TE N2-laser amplifier

The polarization-dependent gain, g₀, and saturation energy density, E_s, in a TE N₂-laser amplifier were measured, using an oscillator-amplifier laser system for different amplifier electrode gap separations, d_AMP, of 7, 9 and 4 mm and gas pressure of p = 77, 60, and 165 Torr, respectively. It was realized that for the amplifier with the gap separation of 7 and 9 mm, where the pd_AMP-value has its optimum-value of 54 Torr cm, the gain-coefficient for the input beam with the polarization parallel to the discharge electrodes (P-polarized beam) is slightly higher than the case when the beam polarization is perpendicular to the discharge electrodes (S-polarized beam). In this case, the depolarization ratio for d_AMP = 7 mm is the range of ∼0.998 to ∼0.962 as the input voltage increases from 12 to 15.5 kV, having a minimum of 0.937 around 14 kV. For the E_s-parameter, the reversed order is true. Also, it was found that the saturation energy densities for three states of polarization are linearly related to the output energy densities, having different slopes of 0.11, 0.14, and 0.17 for R (randomly), P- and S-polarization, respectively. The present measurement supports qualitatively the prediction of polarization-inhomogeneity model for the stimulated emission cross-section, showing that randomly oriented dipoles exhibit slightly larger gain on the direction of the electric field.     

Collisional broadening of nitrous oxide transition lines in the ν1 + 2ν2 band by noble gases

A tunable diode laser is used to measure the foreign gas broadening for several rotational states in the R branch of the 12⁰0-00⁰0 vibration-rotation band of N₂O. The results indicate that rotational relaxation is the chief pressure broadening mechanism. The resulting cross sections for He and Ne turn out to be almost independent of the rotational quantum number. Ar and Kr, however, show a clear dependency. This seems to contradict the results of the infinite order sudden approximation.     

Optimization and Maximum Output Power of CW DCN Laser

A high power CW 195 m DCN laser has been developed for fusion plasma diagnostics. Optimization of various parameters (such as the rate of N₂:CD₄:He gas mixture, the gas pressure and the discharge current, the wall temperature and the output couple) for maximum output power at the DCN laser were performed and reported in this paper. Output power of about 220 mW on the 195 m line has been obtained with 3.4 m long and 54 mm inner diameter discharge-pumped wave-guide laser. A new mixture gas of N₂:CD₄:D₂ was used in producing a stable high-power discharge and preventing the deposition of brown polymer with lower wall temperature and discharge current.     

SIMS study of plumes generated from laser ablation of polymers

Plumes generated by ablation of polymer targets using a third-harmonic Nd:YAG laser under different atmospheres (air, N₂ and He) were deposited on a H-terminated silicon substrate. The chemical composition and distribution of deposited ablation debris were measured using time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry. Mass-resolved images show that the size and shape of the plume is dependent on the laser pulse energy and atmosphere in which the plume expanded. In air and nitrogen, plumes are hemispherical with distinct borders. In He they are mushroom-shaped without sharp borders. Since all experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure, these differences can be related to the reactivity and molecular weight of the gas. Nitrogen-containing compounds (NCCs) and oxygen-containing compounds (OCCs) were found in plumes ablated in air but not in N₂ and He environments. We suggest that the formation of NCCs and OCCs is due to the interaction of the hot plume with air, initiating thermal dissociation of O₂ and oxygen-assisted dissociation of N₂. PACS 52.25.Kn     

Expansion of laser sparks produced by a mode-locked Nd: Glass-laser

Investigations of laser sparks in N₂ and He produced by a mode-locked laser were made with the help of a streak camera. An expansion away and towards the laser depending on the gas pressure was found. The measured expansion velocity of the spark is described by a model based on a radiation mechanism.     

Line profile study from diode laser spectroscopy in the CH4 2ν3 band perturbed by N2, O2, Ar, and He

We present a line profile study for two lines in the 2ν₃ band of CH₄ recorded with a frequency stabilized tunable diode laser spectrometer. The broadening and narrowing (Dicke effect) parameters of the R(0) line perturbed by N₂, O₂, and He are derived from a simultaneous fitting of spectra at pressures from 20 to 300 Torr by using the soft and hard collision models. These parameters are determined for the A and F components of the unresolved R(3) manifold perturbed by N₂, Ar, and He from the line profile analysis of spectra at pressures between 50 and 500 Torr. The line mixing effect between the two F components is also taken into account and the absorber speed dependent effect on broadening is estimated for N₂ and Ar.     

A computer model of a transverse discharge cw CO laser

A kinetic model has been developed for the investigation of the novel performance of a CO laser, on which efficient extraction of laser power was obtained by exciting a subsonic gas mixture of CO/N₂/He/O₂ through transverse dc discharge. Kinetic equations for direct excitation by electron impact, V-V and V-R/T energy transfer, and stimulated emission are coupled with a semi-one-dimensional flow model. Careful consideration is devoted especially to the V-V transfer process of CO–N₂ and N₂–N₂. The laser power was calculated by a constant gain method. The laser output performance, examined as a function of gas mixture ratio, temperature, flow velocity, and discharge current, was in good agreement with the experiment.     

Effect of ambient gas on structural and optical properties of titanium oxynitride films

Titanium oxynitride films have been deposited on glass substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering of titanium target. The influence of oxygen partial pressure in N₂ + Ar and N₂ + He mixtures was examined on structural and optical properties of titanium oxynitride films. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, EDS, surface profilometer, AFM and contact angle measurement system. With increase in oxygen partial pressure, the grain size decreases from ∼70 nm to ∼50 nm in N₂ + Ar mixture, while from ∼60 nm to ∼37 nm in N₂ + He mixture. The thickness calculated from optical transmission data and surface profilometer is in good agreement with each other. The deposited samples are hydrophobic by nature and the contact angle was found to decrease with increase in oxygen partial pressure. Samples prepared in oxygen partial pressure ≥5.5% show transmittance of about 97% in the visible region of the spectrum in both N₂ + Ar and N₂ + He mixtures. The atomic mass of the sputtering gas (Ar and He) significantly affects the primary crystallite size, orientation as well as band gap. We were able to relate the better crystallisation of titanium atoms with low partial pressure of oxygen when films are deposited in helium instead of argon due to Penning ionization.     

Scaling and performance of CO2 lasers at supra-atmospheric pressure

The performance of a compact uv photo-preionized TE laser is studied in the pressure range 1–5 bar. As the pressure is increased, the laser pulse shape is little altered, but both the peak power and the total output pulse energy increase significantly with pressure, even for constant input electrical energy. For various gas mixtures and excitation source capacitors the measurements suggest approximate output energy scaling with the product of the source charge per unit electrode area [C.m^–2] and the molecular partial pressure [CO₂+N₂+CO]. This is explained in terms of the pressure-dependent discharge impedance. An input-energy-related discharge instability limits the optimum laser pressure to 1.5–2.5 bar, and we show that, at constant input energy, the instability boundary depends on the molecular partial pressure alone. The pre-ionization photo-electron yield varies negligibly with pressure, but the discharge tolerance to added oxygen decreases asp ^–3 top ^–4, dependent on gas mixture. Nevertheless sealed operation for >10⁵ shots has been obtained with a 5% CO₂5% CO3% N₂2% H₂85% He gas mixture at a total pressure of 5 bar.     

A miniature tunable TEA CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser using isotope <Superscript>13</Superscript>C<Superscript>16</Superscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> and <Superscript>12</Superscript>C<Superscript>16</Superscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A miniature tunable TEA CO₂ laser using isotope ¹³C¹⁶O₂ as the active medium is developed to extend the spectral range of CO₂ lasers for further application. The optimization of the energy parameters of the tunable TEA ¹³C¹⁶O₂ laser and the same laser using ¹²C¹⁶O₂ are studied. When a gas mixture (¹³C¹⁶O₂: N₂: He = 1: 1: 3) at a total pressure of 6.4 × 10⁴ Pa is used, the TEA ¹³C¹⁶O₂ laser of a 45-cm³ active volume obtains 51 emission lines in the [00⁰1–10⁰0] and [00⁰1–02⁰0] bands. The maximum pulse energy of the TEA ¹³C¹⁶O₂ laser is about 357 mJ. The same laser using the conventional gas mixture (¹²C¹⁶O₂: N₂: He = 1: 1: 3) at a pressure of 6.66 × 10⁴ Pa is measured to obtain 69 laser emission lines and the maximum pulse energy of laser radiation is about 409 mJ.     

Saturation spectroscopy of hydrogen 1-011-011-01lines with a multi-mode cw dye laser

With an intense, broadband multi-mode cw dye laser collisional studies of H_α fine-structure resonances with saturated absorption are extended to He buffer gas pressures larger than 30 mbar (0°C). The broadening and shift of the two prominent H_α(2P?3D) transitions are measured in a (He+4% H) gas discharge. The absolute magnitude and the differences in the width of the lines are explained theoretically by different inelastic fine-structure transfer cross sections which can also be deduced from the pressure effect data. Nuclear polarization of hydrogen atoms by H_α optical pumping and polarization transfer to the H(1S) ground state via Ly-α decay and further applications of the multimode laser are discussed.     

Gain and saturation intensity parameters in a transverse-flow CO2 laser

Details of an experimental investigation of the output characteristics of the 1.2 kW cw transverse-flow, electrically excited CO₂ laser are presented. They were used for estimation of the saturation intensity and the laser cavity loss values, as they follow from the Rigrod-type model of laser operation. The saturation intensity parameter was calculated from measurements of the output power and small signal gain performed with the same experimental conditions. Measurements of the small signal gain were conducted at different points along the gas flow direction for several laser operational parameters described by gas pressure and input electrical power.