Sub-90 fs pulses from a passively mode-locked Yb:YAl<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser

Passive mode locking of the self-frequency doubling Yb:YAB crystal with a saturable absorber mirror is studied at the fundamental wavelength. This laser has a very low threshold, and pulses as short as 85 and 87 fs are obtained for Ti:sapphire and diode laser pumping, respectively.     

Tunable second harmonic generation from a Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:YCa_4O(BO_3)_3 femtosecond laser

We experimentally demonstrated a diode-pumped Kerr-lens mode-locked femtosecond(fs) laser with a self-frequency doubling Yb:YCa_4O(BO_3)_3 crystal.Sub-40 fs laser pulses were directly generated from the oscillator without extracavity compression.The central wavelength was tunable from 1039 nm to 1049 nm with a typical bandwidth of 35 nm and an average output power of 53 mW.For the first time,a self-frequency doubled second harmonic green laser with tunable range from 519 nm to 525 nm was observed.     

掺镱硼酸钙氧钇飞秒激光器及在拉锥光纤中产生跨倍频程超连续光

跨倍频程超连续光谱的产生是光学频率梳系统中测量载波包络相移频率的关键.本文采用拉锥单模光纤作为非线性光谱展宽介质, 将半导体激光(LD)抽运的掺镱硼酸钙氧钇(Yb:YCOB)振荡器输出的飞秒激光耦合到该拉锥光纤中, 通过飞秒激光在光纤中发生的相位调制、四波混频等非线性效应将光谱展宽至超过倍频程的范围.振荡器输出的飞秒激光脉冲宽度为130 fs, 中心波长为1052 nm, 重复频率为76.8 MHz, 平均功率为620 mW, 耦合进单模拉锥光纤后获得了光谱覆盖范围从550 nm至1350 nm的跨倍频程超连续光谱, 最大输出平均功率为323 mW, 耦合效率达到52%.为进一步实现全固态飞秒激光光学频率梳提供了重要基础.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YCOB self-frequency-doubling blue laser at 468 nm

We report a continuous-wave (CW) self-frequency-doubling blue laser at 468 nm by a diodepumped Nd³⁺:YCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (Nd:YCOB) laser. With 14.3 W of diode pump power, a maximum output power of 211 mW in the blue spectral range at 468 nm has been achieved. The beam quality M² values were equal to 1.16 and 1.23 in X and Y directions, respectively. The output power stability over 30 min is better than 5%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power laser at 468 nm generated by self-frequency doubling of a diode pumped Nd:YCOB laser.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YCOB self-frequency-doubling green laser at 530 nm

It is reported that efficient continuous-wave (CW) self-frequency-doubling green laser at 530 nm performed with a diode-pumped Nd³⁺:YCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (Nd:YCOB) laser. With a diode pump power of 14.3 W, TEM₀₀ mode green laser at 530 nm of 1.07 W is obtained. At the output power level of 1.07 mW, the output stability is better than 5%. The beam quality M² value is about 1.37. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power laser at 530 nm generated by self-frequency doubling of a diode pumped Nd:YCOB laser.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YCOB self-frequency-doubling red laser at 666 nm

It is reported that efficient continuous-wave (CW) self-frequency-doubling red laser at 666 nm performed with a diode-pumped Nd³⁺:YCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (Nd:YCOB) laser. With a diode pump power of 14.3 W, TEM₀₀ mode red laser at 666 nm of 570 mW is obtained. At the output power level of 570 mW, the output stability is better than 3.5%. The beam quality M² value is about 1.25. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power laser at 666 nm generated by self-frequency doubling of a diode pumped Nd:YCOB laser.     

Self-Frequency-Doubling Ytterbium Lasers

Ytterbium-doped self-frequency-doubling lasers offer high efficiency, tunable, visible and near-infrared, cw and pulsed operation from compact devices. We review the performance of ytterbium-doped yttrium aluminium borate (Yb:YAB) self-frequency-doubling lasers. Because of the detailed dynaMisc of the interaction of the nonlinear pulse shaping process for mode-locking or for Q-switching self-frequency-doubled lasers, we observe pulse lengthening in each process when frequency doubling is optimised, with high average output power. However, for continuous wave operation, the self-frequency doubling process may be optimised to give highly efficient, robust, widely-tunable output in the visible as well as fundamental output in the infrared.     

Slope efficiency of up to 73% for Yb:Ca4YO(BO3)3 crystal laser pumped by a laser diode

Yb:Ca₄YO(BO₃)₃ (Yb:YCOB) crystal with good quality and large size has been grown by the Czochralski method. The polarization absorption and fluorescence spectra have been measured. The laser action of the Yb:YCOB crystal has been demonstrated when it is pumped by a fiber-coupled laser diode (LD) at the wavelength of 976.4 nm. The pumping threshold is 55 mW, the light-light conversion efficiency is 58.7%, and a slope efficiency of up to 73% is thus calculated. Received: 16 December 1998 / Revised version: 4 February 1999 / Published online: 7 April 1999     

Passive mode locking of a self-frequency-doubling Yb:YAl(3) (BO(3))(4) laser

We report passive mode-locking experiments with a novel self-doubling laser crystal Yb:YAl(3)(BO(3))(4) (Yb:YAB). The diode-pumped laser was mode locked by an ion-implanted semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. Far off phase matching, soliton mode locking produced pulse widths of 198 fs to 1.4 ps, with up to 660-mW output and optical efficiency of 24% at 1040 nm. The shortest pulses had a peak power of 28 kW with 440-mW average power and 16% efficiency. A few degrees off phase matching, a total of 60 mW of green femtosecond pulses was generated simultaneously. Close to phase matching, the laser produced picosecond pulses and, without infrared output, a total of 270 mW of green output, corresponding to 10% conversion efficiency (absorbed pump to green output).     

Nonlinear refractive index of RECOB (RE = Gd and La) crystals

The Z-scan technique is employed to obtain the nonlinear refractive index (n ₂) of the Ca₄REO(BO₃)₃ (RECOB, where RE = Gd and La) single crystals using 30 fs laser pulses centered at 780 nm for the two orthogonal orientations determined by the optical axes (X and Z) relative to the direction of propagation of the laser beam (k//Y// crystallographic b-axis). The large values of n ₂ indicate that both GdCOB and LaCOB are potential hosts for Yb:RECOB lasers operating in the Kerr-lens mode locking (KLM) regime.     

High-power diode-pumped mode-locked Yb:YAG ceramic laser

A high-power diode-pumped passively mode-locked Yb:YAG ceramic laser was demonstrated. An average output power of 3.80W with a pulse duration of 433 fs at a repetition rate of 90.9MHz was obtained at a wavelength of 1050 nm using a 2% output coupler. A peak power of 96.5kW was also obtained. To the best of our knowledge, these are the highest reported average power and peak power for a diode-pumped mode-locked Yb:YAG ceramic laser.     

Low-threshold, Self-frequency Doubling Laser Performance of Nd:YCOB at Different Phase-matching Directions

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Er,Yb:YAl<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>—efficient 1.5 μm laser crystal

This article summarizes the latest achievements in the growth and characterization of Er,Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ laser crystal emitting in the 1.5–1.6 μm spectral range. Fundamental spectroscopic parameters relevant to laser performance of Er,Yb:YAB derived from absorption and emission spectra and from excited state dynamics are presented. The laser performance of Er,Yb:YAB in the cw and mode-locked regimes is reported.     

Ultrafast laser pulses generated from the chromium-doped cunyite laser

Femtosecond pulses were generated from a Cr⁴⁺: Cunyite laser using a combination of a broadband semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), chirped mirrors, and passive mode locking. The astigmatically compensated asymmetric X-cavity with a 4.5-mm-long Cr⁴⁺:Ca₂GeO₄ sample was operated with a 2.5% output coupler. Dispersion compensation was achieved using chirped mirrors. During self-starting mode-locked operation, pulses as short as 365 fs were generated at a pulse repetition rate of 100 MHz with output power of 70 mW and a spectral bandwidth of 5.2 nm at the center wavelength of 1432 nm.     

Twinning and “natural quasi-phase matching” in Yb:YAB

Defects obtained during crystal growth of many laser and nonlinear crystals limit their commercial potential, as is the case of the yttrium aluminium borate family. Typically, in Yb:YAB, birefringent phase-matching is used to obtain self frequency doubled output from a fundamental laser operating near 1 μm. Many crystals however show signs of twin inversion defects during crystal growth resulting in the reversal of the sign of the nonlinear coefficient and hence can result in quasi-phase-matched-like structures. In this report we examine the second harmonic conversion characteristics of a 3.8 mm thick birefringently phase matched Yb:YAB crystal which is then examined in more detail by slicing into four thinner sections each approximately 400 μm thick. Etching of crystal surfaces reveals clear boundaries between reversed domains, which under illumination with a laser at 1.064 μm shows a cancellation of the nonlinear conversion along the interface of the two regions. PACS 42.55.-f; 42.65.Ky; 42.70.Mp     

镱钠共掺氟化钙锁模激光器产生190 fs光脉冲

在半导体激光器高功率抽运的镱、钠共掺氟化钙(Yb, Na:CaF₂)激光器中, 通过对晶体的负热透镜效应的数值模拟,进行激光器腔型的调节和优化,使得该激光器在采用2%的耦合输出镜和吸收抽运功率为7.8 W的条件下,获得了脉冲宽度为190 fs、平均输出功率为503 mW、中心波长为1034 nm、重复频率为82.4 MHz的连续锁模脉冲序列. 如果计算晶体表面反射等其他形式的泄漏输出,激光器的总平均输出功率为905 mW. 关键词： Yb 2晶体')" href="#">Na:CaF₂晶体 激光二极管抽运 飞秒激光     

Low-threshold, Self-frequency Doubling Laser Performance of Nd:YCOB at Different Phase-matching Directions

Self-frequency doubling laser performance of Ti∶sapphire laser pumped Nd∶YCOB at different phase-matching directions was investigated. Results show that the type I phase-matching direction of (64.5°, 35.5°) is much better than the direction of (33°, 9°). A maximum green light (530.5 nm) output power of 19.4 mW has been achieved with an pumping power of 530 mW, and an efficiency of 3.7 %. The laser oscilltion threshold for self-frequency doubling operation is measured to be less than 2 mW.     

In-band pumped Er:YAG ceramic laser with 11 W of output power at 1645 nm

We report on a high power polycrystalline Er:YAG ceramic laser in-band pumped by a cladding-pumped Er, Yb fiber laser wavelength locked at 1532 nm with a volume Bragg grating. Using 1.0 at % Er³⁺-doped ceramic as the gain medium and an output coupler of 10% transmission, the laser had a threshold pump power of ∼1.5 W and generated 11 W of continuous-wave output at 1645 nm for 23.3 W of incident pump power at 1532 nm, corresponding to a slope efficiency with respect to incident pump power of 51%.     

Highly efficient 1 GHz repetition-frequency femtosecond Yb3+:KY(WO4)2 laser

We present a highly efficient, diode-pumped, femtosecond Yb3+:KY(WO4)2 (Yb:KYW) laser operating at a 1.024 GHz repetition rate. The output was centered at a wavelength of 1042 nm and had a bandwidth of 3.8 nm, leading to transform-limited pulses with durations of 278 fs determined by fringe-resolved autocorrelation measurements. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency and slope efficiency were 61% and 69%, respectively, and the relative intensity noise was <0.1%.     

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked Yb:LSO/SESAM laser

Diode-end-pumped passively mode-locked Yb³⁺:Lu₂SiO₅ (Yb:LSO) lasers both in the picosecond and the femtosecond regimes were demonstrated in this paper. The mode-locked lasers were initiated by using of semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAM). In the absence of intra-prisms for pulse compression, the laser emitted 1.6 W of output power with pulses width of about 4.3 ps. A pair of SF10 prisms was inserted into the laser cavity, pulses as short as 699 fs was generated around a center wavelength of 1043.6 nm with an average output power of 800 mW and a peak power of 11.0 kW.