Laser performance and thermal lensing in high-power diode-pumped Yb:KGW with athermal orientation

A comparative, experimental study of the high-power diode-pumped laser performance and thermal lensing properties between standard b-cut Yb:KGW and Yb:KGW cut along an athermal direction is presented. The results show that thermal lens properties in both the b-cut and the athermal direction-cut crystals are determined by anisotropic thermal expansion in Yb:KGW. Thermal gradients due to the pump beam cause thermal lensing even in the athermal direction-cut geometry. The thermal lens is much weaker and less astigmatic in the athermal direction-cut crystal, for the same absorbed power. These properties allow generation of better-quality laser beams with the athermal direction-cut crystal as compared to the b-cut crystal. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.60.Jf; 42.70.Hj     

Thermal lensing, thermal management and transverse mode control in microchip VECSELs

Finite-element analysis is used to explore the practicalities and power-scaling potential of quasi-monolithic microchip vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers: thermal lensing and its implications for transverse mode control are emphasised. A comparison is made between the use of sapphire and diamond heat spreaders. The experimental characterisation of an InGaAs/sapphire microchip VECSEL is presented as an exemplar system and the factors affecting slope efficiency, threshold and output power roll-over are examined. By comparing experimental measurements with the finite-element model, the key role of thermal lensing in transverse mode control is demonstrated. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.55.Rz; 42.55.Px     

板条侧面绝热技术研究

 分析了当侧面绝热不彻底时所带来的侧向温度梯度对板条光程畸变造成的影响，提出采用吸收材料吸收板条的自发辐射，控制吸收材料的温升使之与板条中心的平均温度相同的方法来实现板条侧面绝热，并给出了“隔热层+吸收层+铜热沉”的绝热结构的设计方法。板条热透镜效应实验结果表明，在500Hz重复频率下，未装绝热结构的板条热焦距为0.78m，而装有绝热结构的板条的热焦距为1.93m，热聚焦大为改善。     

Efficient Yb:KGW lasers end-pumped by high-power diode bars

The laser performance of Yb:KGW under end-pumping with high-power diode bars has been investigated. In one configuration, the pump is delivered through an optical fiber yielding a symmetric but unpolarized pump spot. In the second configuration, the pump is delivered through an optical lens system yielding a polarized but asymmetric pump spot. Both configurations resulted in a maximum optical to optical efficiency of 47% and a maximum power of 12.4 W has been generated with the fiber coupled pump source. The output power was limited by crystal fracture, which occurred at an estimated temperature gradient of 1.2×10⁵ K/m. Thermal lensing and laser tuning characteristics are also investigated. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.60.Lh     

Dependence of curvature type of thermal lensing on number of bounces in a zigzag slab laser: numerical modeling

The curvature type of the thermal lens generated in a zigzag slab laser is numerically analysed. It is found that the curvature type of the thermal lens varies alternatively between the convex and the concave lenses with the number of bounces of light within the slab, which can be well explained by the trace of the zigzag propagation. In addition, we conclude that the beamlet with a larger number of bounces experiences weaker thermal lensing but more serious wavefront deformation due to the large side lobe portion in the curve of optical path difference.     

Effect of ytterbium concentration on cw Yb:YAG microchip laser performance at ambient temperature – Part I: Experiments

The microchip laser performance of Yb:YAG crystals doped with different ytterbium concentrations (C_Yb=10, 15, and 20 at. %) has been investigated at ambient temperature without active cooling of the gain media. Efficient laser oscillation for a 1-mm-thick YAG doped with 10 at. % Yb³⁺ ions was achieved at 1030 and 1049 nm with slope efficiencies of 85% and 81%, correspondingly. The laser performance of heavy-doped Yb:YAG crystals was limited by the thermal population at terminated lasing level and thermal lens effect at room temperature without sufficient cooling of the samples. The laser emitting spectra of Yb:YAG microchip lasers with different Yb concentrations and output couplings are addressed with the local temperature rise, due to the absorption of the pump power inside the gain media under different pump levels. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.70.Hj; 42.55.Rz     

掠入射板条放大器链的热效应模拟分析

对LD泵浦的掠入射板条放大器链系统激光介质的热效应进行研究。针对掠入射放大器结构建立了相应的热力学模型,对激光介质的温度场分布、热致波前畸变和热透镜效应进行了详细的理论分析。利用有限元分析软件COMSOL模拟了晶体内部的温度、应力及应变的分布情况,并进一步讨论了板条厚度、泵浦尺寸以及种子光入射角对光程差和热透镜造成的影响。结果表明,随着泵浦光斑尺寸和种子光入射角的增大,光程差变小,热透镜效应减弱;板条厚度对光程差和热透镜的影响较小。模拟计算结果对于预测板条热效应的强弱、热效应的补偿,以及放大器链结构参数的设计提供了依据。     

A power-scaling strategy for longitudinally diode-pumped Tm:YLF lasers

We describe a power-scaling strategy for longitudinally diode-pumped Tm:YLF lasers based on optimisation of the thulium doping level and the gain geometry. Carefully designed laser experiments at lower powers are shown to allow a simple means for accurately predicting the thermal loading and hence the power-scaling properties of this system, including the effects of ground-state depletion, cross relaxation and energy-transfer upconversion. An optimised doping level of 2 at. % and a slab geometry are shown experimentally to allow scaling of a single gain unit to output powers of ∼70 W, limited by the available pump power, and a strategy for scaling well beyond 100-W output is discussed. PACS 42.55.-f; 42.55.Xi; 42.60.By     

Numerical modeling of the thermal lensing effect in a grazing-incidence laser

The numerical modeling of thermal lensing effect is investigated in a grazing-incidence laser. The deformation of the bounce face is introduced into the modeling for the first time, and the Gaussian distribution of the pump light and the anisotropic heat conduction are considered. The results indicate that the proportion of the deformation on the bounce face to the thermal lensing effect is as high as 80% for small grazing-incident angle of 5°. The thermal lensing effect sensitively depends on the pump power, grazing-incident angle and the pump distribution in a grazing-incidence bounce geometry laser.     

Efficient and high-power intracavity frequency doubled diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG/KTP continuous wave (CW) green laser

Highly efficient continuous wave (CW) green beam generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a diode side-pumped Nd:YAG laser using a single pump head based on a copper-coated flow tube in a V-shaped cavity geometry has been demonstrated. A maximum 30.5 W of CW green power was obtained at a total diode pumping power of 260 W corresponding to 11.7% conversion efficiency of diode pump power to CW green power and 4.7% conversion efficiency of electrical power to CW green power. The performance of the laser by considering the pump power induced thermal lensing effect and the M²-parameter at the fundamental wavelength has been analyzed.     

Thermal effects in high-power Nd:YAG disk-type solid state laser

An investigation of thermal effects in a high-power Nd:YAG disk-type solid state laser pumped with different pump beam transverse profiles is carried out by numerical simulation based on the finite element method (FEM). Impact of the heat sink on the thermal effects is included in the simulation. The distribution of first principle stress, thermally induced birefringence, including the distribution and variation of the birefringence loss, are studied. The characteristics of the phase variation are analyzed with consideration of the temperature gradient, deformation, strain and thermal stress. Thermal lensing is explored as a function of pump power and of the radius pumped with different pump beam transverse profiles. The non-parabolic part of optical phase distortion is simulated. Furthermore, the characteristics of the bi-focus of the disk laser are also studied. Experiments on the maximum tensile stress distribution and depolarization loss are carried out. The presented calculations are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations.     

Efficient Ho : YAG laser pumped by a cladding-pumped tunable Tm : silica-fibre laser

Highly efficient room-temperature operation of a Ho:YAG laser end pumped by a cladding-pumped tunable Tm-doped silica-fibre laser operating at 1905 nm is reported. Using a simple two-mirror resonator configuration, we obtained 6.4 W of unpolarized output at 2097 nm in a diffraction-limited TEM₀₀ beam (with M²1.1) for 9.6 W of incident pump power, corresponding to a slope efficiency with respect to incident pump power of 80% and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 67%. Using a folded-resonator configuration incorporating a Brewster-angled glass plate, we obtained 5.8 W of linearly polarized TEM₀₀ output, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 60%. Due to low quantum defect heating, the depolarization loss due to thermally induced birefringence in the Ho:YAG crystal was <0.14% at the maximum available pump power, indicating that there is scope for further power scaling. PACS 42.55.-f; 42.55.Xi; 42.55.Wd; 42.60.Pk     

Thermal optics distortion of face pump slab lasers with two pump arrangements

Two pump arrangements, which are the slow axis and the fast axis of LD stacks parallel to the length direction of the slab, are simulated. From the results the optical intensity along the width of the slab is Gaussian and super-Gaussian distribution, respectively. Then based on heat conduction equation and conductively cooling boundary condition, the calculation of the distribution of absorbed pump power, temperature and thermal stress with the tool of finite element analyses is performed. From these results we numerically calculate the thermal focusing in zigzag and perpendicular zigzag planes using the ray tracing method running at low and high repetition rates. It is found that the temperature distribution along width has a significant impact on the thermal stress and thermal optics distortion, especially running at high repetition rate or high average power. Finally, the conclusion was that the pump arrangement with the fast axis of LD stacks parallel to the length direction of the slab is superior to the slow axis of LD stacks parallel to the length direction of the slab in decreasing thermal lens effect and obtaining high beam quality.     

Approximate formulas of temperature and stress distributions and thermal induced effects in a heat capacity slab laser

Approximate formulas of transient temperature and stress distributions in the slab of a two-side pumped heat capacity laser are attained by solving the heat diffusion equation. Based on the formulas, the distributions of temperature and stress during the pump period of a two-sided symmetrically laser diode array (LDA) pumped Nd:GGG slab laser with 5-kW average output power are numerically simulated. The results show that the temperature in the slab will averagely increase by more than 70 ℃ after operating for 10 seconds; the stress and maximum of the temperature difference in the slab are about 30 MPa and 24 ℃, respectively. The thermal induced effects are discussed also.     

Thermal eigenmode amplifiers for diffraction-limited amplification of ultrashort pulses

The design of high-repetition, high-average power, multipass amplifiers in which the pump power induced thermal lensing within the amplifier is used to create an equivalent lens waveguide for the production of diffraction-limited beams is analyzed.     

热透镜控制激光光束质量技术研究

在端面抽运固体激光器中,就如何改善在高抽运功率时输出激光的光束质量,提出一种激光器的设计方法。在激光器谐振腔中放入多根掺杂浓度不同的激光介质,利用激光介质内部产生的热透镜控制抽运光和基模振荡光的空间分布,并且最大限度地使抽运光的分布区和基模振荡光分布区重叠,实现抽运光与基模振荡光在空间上高度匹配,进而提高抽运光能量的利用效率和振荡光的光束质量。实验表明,在不同抽运功率下,抽运光和基模振荡光在晶体内部的光斑的空间分布可通过热透镜加以控制。在端面抽运功率200 W附近时,实现了抽运光与基模振荡光较高程度匹配,光束质量因子M2由14.7改善为4.1。     

锯齿形板条抽运结构的热效应数值比较

激光二极管抽运的全固态激光器中,除了激光介质的温度分布和热透镜效应以外,抽运、冷却结构对获得高光束质量、高功率激光输出至关重要。基于热传导方程,在相同的抽运功率和传导冷却边界条件下,对单侧面抽运锯齿形(zigzag)板条、单侧面键合锯齿形板条、部分抽运板条三种不同抽运结构的温度分布、热致应力、温度导致的折射率变化进行了详细的分析,并通过光线追迹方法,比较了光束在锯齿形面内和垂直于锯齿形面内的光程差,由光程差曲线分析了激光束的热透镜效应。对三种抽运结构的端面温度、端面变形和端面变形导致的光程差也进行了对比分析。结果表明,三种抽运结构在锯齿形面内的光束均表现为发散特性,在垂直于锯齿形面内的光束表现为热聚焦效应,温度导致的热聚焦特性相差不是很大。而在消除端面效应方面,键合激光板条具有明显优势。最后,提出了热透镜效应的补偿方法。     

The thermal effect in a grazing-incidence slab laser with the novel composite cooling method

The thermal properties of the grazing-incidence slab laser are investigated when cooling with a novel composite method, both conducted cooling and air cooling. The 3D temperature distribution and the correspondent thermal lensing effect were analytically modeled and numerically calculated. The absorption saturation and stress-optic effect were taken into account in the modeling. The influence of the parameters of the laser on the thermal lensing effect were investigated in detail. The results show a lower temperature and weaker thermal lensing effect for the composite cooling than for the traditional contaction cooling.     

200-W corner-pumped Yb:YAG slab laser

A novel concept of corner pumping has been developed. The corner-pumped slab design allows long absorption length and symmetric conduction cooling, making it particularly suitable for high-power quasi-three-level lasers. A corner-pumped Yb:YAG slab laser has been demonstrated for the first time. A preliminary experimental result shows that the laser produces 202 W of cw output power with 1400 W of incident pump power. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.60.Da; 42.60.Pk     

Influences of pump beam distribution on thermal lensing spherical aberration in an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser

A numerical investigation is made on the thermal lensing and spherical aberration effect in an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser. Based on the finite element method (FEM), the laser rod temperature distribution is calculated and the focal length of the thermal lens is deduced, the influences of pump beam on the thermal lensing spherical aberration are mainly studied. The results show the thermal lens which focal length varied with the radial coordinate r is not an ideal lens. Given the heat dissipation boundary conditions, the radial dependent focal length will be shortened when the pump power raised or the waist radius of the pump beam reduced, meanwhile the radial differences of the focal length will decrease when the pump power increased. For a Super-Gaussian profile pump beam, the higher the exponent number, the more similar to flat top the pump beam is, and the less the radial differences of the focal length are.