光纤激光共孔径光谱合成实现5kW高效优质输出

采用多层介质膜衍射光栅实现多路高功率光纤激光共孔径光谱合成有望成为光纤激光同时实现高功率、高效率和高光束质量的最具发展潜力的技术途径。搭建了一套基于双光栅色散补偿设计的5kW共孔径光谱合成系统。采用国产多层介质膜衍射光栅实现了5路kW级窄谱子束激光的高效优质共孔径光谱合成,最大输出功率达5.07kW,光束质量因子(M2)小于3,合成效率达到91.2%。初步研究表明:多层介质膜衍射光栅在较高功率水平、较宽光谱范围内均能保持较高衍射效率,是实现高功率光纤激光高效率光谱合成的重要器件;参与合成的子束自身的光束质量水平和线宽是影响合成输出光束质量的重要因素,光谱合成系统的输出功率主要受限于窄谱子束的输出功率和合成路数,增加窄谱子束的功率或合成路数均可进一步提升系统的输出功率。     

双光栅实现半导体激光阵列波长组束

在波长光束组合基础上,用一个光栅和一个准直透镜代替传输透镜,可以有效地减小单个发光单元光束质量的退化,明显地克服相邻发光单元的反馈串扰,实现了较窄线宽的光谱组束输出。采用标准的半导体激光阵列,连续输出激光功率44.8 W,电光转换效率最高38.9%,光谱线宽为4.1nm。光束慢轴方向光束质量因子为11.7,快轴方向光束质量因子为1.37,快慢轴两个方向都接近单个发光单元光束质量。     

三种半导体阵列光谱组束结构的输出特性

基于光谱光束组合技术,利用光栅的衍射和外腔的反馈,并通过加入光束整形系统,将标准的半导体激光阵列的发光单元锁定在窄线宽的不同波长上,以近似平行光束沿组合方向输出,以实现半导体激光阵列输出光束质量的改善和线宽的压窄。实验中采用发光单元宽度100μm,周期500μm,由19个单元构成的标准阵列,分别对快、慢轴准直后光谱组束、光束整形后光谱组束和线宽压窄外腔组束进行了实验验证,实现了组合光束与单个发光单元近似的光束质量,同时得到了较窄的线宽输出,并对实验结果进行了分析。     

基于锥面衍射实现高效率双光栅光谱合成

分析了基于锥面衍射的双光栅光谱合成系统的可行性,设计了激光入射角为Littrow角附近的双多层介质膜(MLD)光栅光谱合成系统,开展了两路合成实验。当入射极角等于自准直入射角,入射方位角为6°时,光栅衍射效率近似等于光束自准直入射时的衍射效率。基于锥面衍射原理,对中心波长为1050.24 nm和1064.33 nm的两束光纤激光子束进行合成,入射极角为43.99°,测得合成效率为92.9%,较基于非锥面衍射的双光栅光谱合成系统的合成效率提高了8.8%;测得合成光斑光束质量Mx 2=1.204,My 2=1.467,与基于非锥面衍射的双光栅光谱合成系统输出光斑光束质量基本一致。     

体布拉格光栅用于高功率光谱组束的研究

使用透射型体布拉格光栅组束两束光纤激光,实现了856 W光谱组束输出。总的光谱组束效率为73.7%,组束光束的横向质量因子为7.9,纵向质量因子为2.7。研究结果显示,虽然体光栅的角色散严重影响衍射光束的光束质量,但其并不影响透射光束的光束特性。由于当前宽谱光纤激光器的输出功率远大于窄线宽输出,使用宽谱光纤激光器(光谱带宽超过4nm)作为透射光束,能够在不降低组束效率和组束光束质量的前提下,有效提升使用体布拉格光栅进行光谱组束的总输出功率。     

高效紧凑室温Yb:YAG板条全固态激光技术研究

报道了高效紧凑室温Yb:YAG板条全固态激光研究进展。建立了室温Yb板条激光动力学模型,分析了泵浦激光通量和注入激光亮度与光光效率的关系,以及板条边缘效应抑制方法。实验获得了输出功率22.3 kW、光光效率36%和光束质量优于2.4倍衍射极限的激光输出,为更高功率的Yb板条激光关键技术研究及开发小型化、轻量化、实用化的高功率激光器奠定了基础。     

基于多层电介质光栅光谱合成的光束质量

基于电介质光栅的光谱合成是实现高功率高光束质量激光的重要途径. 在电介质光栅的光谱合成系统中, 光栅色散效应是影响合成激光光束质量的重要因素. 本文推导了单光栅和双光栅光谱合成系统中由于光栅色散引起M²因子的变化公式; 详细讨论了这两种合成系统中单路激光线宽、单路激光光斑半径、相邻两路激光波长差、相邻两路激光间距以及光栅周期对光束质量的影响. 研究表明对于单光栅合成系统, 在合成过程中若保持光束质量M²因子的大小不变, 则单路激光带宽随光斑半径的增加而减小; 在双光栅光谱合成系统中, 在保持光束质量的前提下, 单路激光带宽可随光斑半径的增大而相应增加. 数值计算表明, 若要满足合成光束的光束质量M² ≤1.2的要求, 在单光栅系统中激光线宽需窄于亚纳米量级, 在双光栅系统中激光带宽可为亚纳米. 本文为高功率、高光束质量的光纤激光光谱合成系统的搭建提供了理论指导.     

光纤激光光谱合束及光栅热效应研究进展

受热效应、光学损伤与非线性效应等因素的限制,单纤的功率提高困难。因此通过光学元件将多束激光进行合束的光束合成技术应运而生。光谱合束方案具有结构简单,合束光束质量好等优点,逐渐成为了合束技术发展的主流。简要介绍了光纤激光光谱合束的几种常见合束方案,对比分析了几种合束技术的优缺点。对光谱合束中存在的光栅热畸变问题,从理论研究和实验研究两个方面进行了针对性的分析与讨论,并对光谱合束未来的发展趋势进行了展望。     

外腔两束光纤激光频谱组束的实验研究

报道了外腔2个大模面积双包层Er3+/Yb3+共掺光纤激光器频谱组束的实验结果,获得了最大功率为0.80 W、组束效率高达82.5%的组束激光输出。演示和分析了光纤末端放置位置的改变、光栅的旋转对输出光谱和组束效率的影响,结果表明:当光纤末端距系统轴的位置超过某一定值时,输出光谱呈现多模;当光栅与水平面所成角度减小时,组束效率逐渐增大。     

大功率高光斑均匀性半导体激光复合光源

 为了获得具有更高输出功率和良好光斑分布均匀性的半导体激光光源,根据半导体激光优良的偏振特性,利用偏振分光棱镜将2束大功率激光束合成为一束更大功率的光束,通过一个发射系统投射。在光束合成前采用非球面光学系统对每个激光器慢轴方向的光束进行扩束,使其与快轴方向光束发散角基本一致。实验证明,此种半导体激光复合光源具有良好的光斑均匀性,其输出功率是2个半导体激光器输出功率之和,完全满足激光制导等军用系统对激光功率和光斑均匀性的要求。     

520-W continuous-wave diode corner-pumped composite Yb:YAG slab laser

We present a pumping scheme for a quasi-three-level solid-state laser. The scheme uses a slab laser configuration with the pump light incident from the slab corners. A diode-corner-pumped composite Yb:YAG-YAG slab laser operating in high-power cw mode was designed to prove the scheme. As much as 520 W of output power was obtained from a single 1-mm-thick composite slab with 0.5-at. %-doped Yb:YAG. The slope efficiency and the optical-to-optical efficiency with respect to the pump power were 32% and 25%, respectively. This result shows the validity of the corner-pumping concept and its feasibility in the development of high-power solid-state lasers.     

Lasers for materials processing: specifications and trends

An overview is given of the types of lasers dominating the field of laser materials processing. The most prominent lasers in this field are the CO₂ and the Nd: YAG laser. The domain of CO₂ lasers is applications which demand high laser powers (up to 30 kW are available at present), whereas the domain of Nd:YAG lasers is micro-machining applications. In the kilowatt range of laser output power, the two types of lasers are in competition. New diffusion-cooled CO₂ laser systems are capable of output laser powers of several kilowatts, with good beam qualities, while still being quite compact. The output power and beam quality of Nd:YAG lasers has been improved in recent years, so that Nd:YAG lasers are now an alternative to CO₂ lasers even in the kilowatt range. This is especially true for applications that demand optical fibre transmission of the laser beam, which is possible with Nd:YAG laser light but not with the longerwavelength light emitted by CO₂ lasers. The main problem in solid-state lasers such as Nd:YAG is the thermal lensing effect and damage due to thermal stresses. In order to reduce thermal loading, cooling has to be enhanced. Several alternative geometries have been proposed to reduce thermal loading and, by this, thermal lensing effects. There are now slab and tube geometries which allow much higher output powers than the conventionally used laser rods. A very new scheme proposes a thin slab whose cooled side is also used as one of the laser mirrors, so that thermal gradients occur mainly in the direction of the beam propagation and not perpendicular to it, as is the case in the other geometries. As well as CO₂ and Nd:YAG lasers, semiconductor laser diodes are very promising for direct use of the emitted light or as pump sources for Nd:YAG and other solid-state lasers. When packaging together thousands of single laser diodes, output powers of several kilowatts can be realized. Major problems are collimation of the highly divergent laser beams and cooling of the laser diode bars.     

Analysis on the temperature distribution and thermal effects in corner-pumped slab lasers

The temperature distribution and thermal effects in a high-power solid-state laser are investigated. The temperature distribution in a corner-pumped Yb:YAG/YAG composite slab is described analytically, and the thermal effects in that slab are deduced. Their influences to the resonator are also discussed. A corner-pumped Yb:YAG/YAG composite slab laser has achieved 1016 W continuous wave laser output. The experimental results support the calculated outcomes.     

基于透射型体布拉格光栅的两通道2.5kW光谱组束输出

体光栅光谱组束是获得高功率激光输出的一种有效途径.在有限的可用带宽内,光谱通道间隔影响着组束光束数目以及最终的高功率组束输出.采用耦合波理论,建立了一个两通道高功率光谱组束模型.通过优化体光栅光谱通道间隔,可放宽对组束子束线宽和功率的限制,组束功率可大幅提升而光谱密度并无显著下降.基于此,实验上获得了2.5 kW组束输出,绝对效率超过85%,通道间隔5 nm,光谱密度为0.51kW/nm.组束功率1 kW时,组束输出能保持好的光束质量;组束功率1.5kW时光束质量恶化较明显,通过分析发现,组束光束质量的恶化主要受限于体光栅的色散及高功率下体光栅复杂的热畸变.     

Study on symmetry of output beam of corner-pumped solid-state fundamental-mode laser

Aimed at solving the problem of the asymmetry of the output beam of corner-pumped solid-state fundamental-mode lasers, a simple resonant cavity design is presented. Using this method, no optical element needs to be inserted into the cavity. The symmetry of the output beam can be improved effectively by changing cavity parameters. The validity of this method is demonstrated by a corner-pumped Nd:YAG/YAG composite slab Q-switched fundamental-mode laser. The asymmetry of the output beam can be corrected effectively by adjusting the short arm length of the linear cavity and a symmetric output beam is obtained. The resonant cavity design method is simple and practical, which also applies to other lasers with the asymmetric output beam resulting from asymmetric cooling or asymmetric pumping.     

Solid-state dye laser with moiré gratings

We fabricated distributed-feedback (DFB) solid-state dye lasers with moiré gratings. We formed a moiré grating pattern by superimposing two grating patterns with a rotation angle. The moiré gratings were fabricated by an “etchless” process utilizing a two-beam interference method. The gratings were coated with solidified rhodamine-B. The five laser devices were pumped with the second harmonic generation of a Nd:YAG laser and we obtained narrow-banded laser oscillations at 590, 600, 610, 620, and 630 nm wavelength. Full widths at half maximum of laser spectra were less than 0.5 nm. The results indicated that a moiré fringe can function as a resonator of DFB solid-state dye lasers.     

Laser-diode pumped self-Q-switched microchip lasers

Optical properties of Cr,Yb:YAG, Cr,Nd:YAG crystals, and composite Yb:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramics self-Q-switched solid-state laser materials are presented. The merits of these self-Q-switched laser materials are given and the potentials of such lasers can be chosen by the applications. Cr,Yb:YAG and composite Yb:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramics self-Q-switched laser are conducted. Although several tens of kW peak power can be obtained with a monolithic microchip Cr,Yb:YAG laser, the experimental results show that the performance of this laser is limited by the absorption of Cr⁴⁺ ions at a pump wavelength of 940 nm and strong fluorescence quenching at high Cr concentration. Composite Yb:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramics are more suitable to realize high pulse energy and peak power (up to MW level) with optimized lasing and Q-switching parts. In addition, the instabilities induced by the multi-longitudinal mode competition in Cr,Nd:YAG and Cr,Yb:YAG microchip lasers are addressed. The different gain bandwidths of Yb:YAG and Nd:YAG play an important role in the instability of the output laser pulse trains. Stable laser pulses from the Cr,Yb:YAG microchip laser were obtained due to the antiphase dynamics. For the Cr,Nd:YAG microchip laser, the instability caused by the multi-longitudinal mode competition is an intrinsic property. Different transverse patterns were observed in Cr,Nd:YAG microchip lasers when a pump beam with larger diameter was used. Saturated inversion population distribution inside the gain medium plays an important role in the transverse pattern formation. Different transverse patterns were reconstructed by combining different sets of the Hermite-Gaussian modes.     

Yb:YAG and Nd:YAG edge-pumped slab lasers

Experimental demonstrations of two edge-pumped zigzag slab lasers are presented. The Nd:YAG slab laser generated 127 W of multimode output power with 300W of pump power. Preliminary results with a Yb:YAG slab produced 46 W of output power with 315W of pump power. The edge-pumped slab design permits symmetric conduction cooling and efficient pump absorption and accepts large-numerical-aperture pump sources.