Diode-pumped 593.5 nm cw yellow laser by type-I CPM LBO intracavity sum-frequency-mixing

A design of LD-pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser that generates simultaneous laser action at wavelengths 1064 and 1342 nm by optimizing film design is presented. An optimized continuous-wave (cw) yellow laser at 593.5 nm in room temperature is obtained for the first time. Using type-I critical phase-matching (CPM)LBO crystal, a yellow laser at 593.5 nm is obtained by 1064 and 1342 nm intracavity sum-frequency mixing. The maximum laser output power of 85 mW is obtained when an incident pump laser of 1.8 W is used. The optical-to-optical conversion is up to 4.7%, and the power stability in 24 h is better than ±2.8%.     

Simultaneous dual-wavelength laser operation at 1342 and 946 nm in two laser crystals and their sum-frequency mixing

A sum-frequency yellow-green laser at 554.9 nm is reported by this paper, 946 nm wavelength is obtained from ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transition in Nd:YAG and 1342 nm wavelength is obtained from ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_13/2 transition in Nd:YVO₄. Using a doubly folded-cavity type-II critical phase matching KTP crystal intra cavity to make 946 nm laser from Nd:YAG and 1342 nm laser from Nd:YVO₄ frequency summed, with incident pumped power of 30 W in Nd:YAG and 20 W in Nd:YVO₄, TEM₀₀ mode yellow-green laser at 554.9 nm at 1.15 W is obtained and its M² factor is less than 1.22. The experimental results show that the Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO₄ crystals intra-cavity sum-frequency mixing is an effective method for yellow-green laser and it can be applied to other two laser crystals to obtain more all-solid-state lasers with different wavelengths.     

All-solid-state doubly resonant intracavity frequency sum mixing orange yellow laser with 3.2 W output power at 593.5 nm

A compact and efficient 593.5 nm orange-yellow laser is realized using doubly resonant intracavity sum frequency mixing. Two Nd: YVO₄ crystals are employed as the gain crystals. In two sub-cavities, 1064 nm radiation from one Nd: YVO₄ and 1342 nm radiation from the other Nd: YVO₄ are mixed to generate 593.5 nm orange-yellow laser. In the overlapping of the two cavities, sum frequency mixing is achieved in a type I critical phase matching (CPM) LBO crystal. An output power of 3.2 W at the wavelength of 593.5 nm is obtained with total incident pump power of 38 W. The optical to optical conversion efficiency is up to 8.4% and the stability of the output power is better than 2.48% in 8 h. To the best knowledge, this it the highest watt-level laser at 593.5 nm generated by diode end pump all-solid-state technology.     

Investigation of Nd:YVO4/YVO4 composite crystal and its laser performance pumped by a fiber coupled diode laser

Thermal effect control is critical to scale the output power of diode end-pumping solid lasers to several watts up and beyond. Diffusion bonding crystal has been demonstrated to be an effective method to relieve the thermal lens for the end-pumping laser crystal. The temperature distribution and thermal lens in Nd:YVO₄/YVO₄ composite crystal was numerically analyzed and compared with that of Nd:YVO4 crystal in this paper. The end-pumping Nd:YVO₄/YVO₄ composite crystal laser was set up and tested with z cavity. The maximum output power of 9.87 W at 1064 nm and 6.14 W at 532 nm were obtained at the pumping power of 16.5 W. The highest optical-optical conversion efficiencies were up to 60% at 1064 nm and 40% at 532 nm, respectively.     

LD泵浦Nd:YVO4/LBO腔内和频连续黄光激光器

用国产半导体激光二极管泵浦Nd:YVO4晶体,通过优化膜系,调节1064 nm谱线的线性损耗以达到与弱谱线1342 nm 增益匹配,在室温下实现1064 nm和1342 nm双波长连续运转,并通过Ⅰ类临界相位匹配LBO晶体腔内和频在国内首次实现593.5 nm黄色激光连续输出,当泵浦注入功率为1.8 W时和频黄激光最大输出达85 mW,光光转换效率为4.7%,功率稳定性24 h内优于±2.8%.     

Noise characteristic of sum-frequency mixing orange solid-state laser

A laser-diode-pumped Nd:YVO₄ orange solid-state laser is described in this paper. The fundamental wavelengths at 1064 and 1342 nm oscillate simultaneously and generate the 593.5 nm wavelength by intracavity sum-frequency mixing in a KTP crystal using type II phase matching. The noise characteristic of laser output has been measured and analyzed at different pumping powers. The relationship between the amplitude noise of sum-frequency mixing output and the longitudinal modes of fundamental frequency has been investigated. The results show that the sum-frequency mixing output has low noise if one of the fundamental wavelengths is single longitudinal mode. The experiment shows that amplitude noise of the intracavity sum-frequency mixing laser is lower than that of intracavity frequency doubled laser with the same structure.     

All-solid-state CW doubly resonant sum-frequency mixing red-orange laser at 611 nm

We report for the first time a continuous wave (CW) coherent radiation at 611 nm by intracavity sum-frequency generation of 1064 nm Nd:YVO₄ laser and 1433 nm Nd:YAP laser. Red-orange laser is obtained by using a doubly cavity, type-II critical phase matching KTP crystal sum-frequency mixing. With total pump power of 27.9 W (17.8 W pump power for 1433 nm Nd:YAP laser and 10.1 W pump power for 1064 nm Nd:YVO₄ laser), TEM₀₀ mode red-orange laser at 611 nm of 1.15 W is obtained. The red-orange power stability in 30 min is better than 4.3%.     

All-solid-state continuous wave doubly linear resonator sum-frequency mixing yellow laser

We report a continuous-wave (CW) yellow laser emission by sum-frequency mixing in Nd:YVO4 crystal. Using type-II critical phase-matching KTP crystal, a yellow laser at 593.5 nm is obtained by 1064 and 1342 nm intracavity sum-frequency mixing. The maximum laser output power of 2.1 W is obtained when an incident pump laser of 18.2 W is used. At the output power level of 2.1 W, the output stability is better than 3.2%.     

494.5 nm generation by sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped neodymium lasers

We report a coherent radiation at 494.5 nm by intra-cavity sum-frequency generation of 912 nm Nd:GdVO₄ laser and 1080 nm Nd:CaYAlO₄ laser. Blue laser is obtained by using a doubly folded cavity, type-II critical phase matching KTP (KTiOPO₄) crystal sum-frequency mixing. With total pump power of 33 W (13.8 W pump power for 1080 nm Nd:CaYAlO₄ laser and 19.2 W pump power for 912 nm Nd:GdVO₄ laser), TEM₀₀ mode blue laser at 494.5 nm of 1.6 W is obtained. The power stability in 30 min is better than 3.5%.     

High-efficiency direct-pumped Nd:YVO4-LBO laser operating at 671 nm

The continuous-wave high-efficiency laser emission from Nd:YVO₄ at the fundamental wavelength of 1342 nm and its 671 nm second harmonic obtained by intra-cavity frequency doubling in an LBO nonlinear crystal are investigated under pumping by diode laser at 880 nm (on the ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_13/2 transition). The end-pumped Nd:YVO₄ crystal yielded a continuous-wave output power of 9.6 W at 1342 nm for 18.9 W of absorbed pump power. The slope efficiency measured with respect to the absorbed pump power is 60%. An output of 5.5 W at 671 nm was obtained by frequency doubling, resulting in an optical-to-optical efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power of 29%. Comparative results obtained for the pump with a diode laser at 808 nm (on the ⁴F_5/2→⁴I_13/2 transition) are given in order to prove the advantages of the 880 nm wavelength pumping.     

800 mW/1484 nm highly efficient two-cascaded phosphosilicate Raman fiber laser pumped by Nd:YVO4 solid-state laser

Using 1064 nm CW Nd:YVO₄ solid-state laser as a pump, 1-km phosphosilicate fiber and cascaded cavities with two pairs of fiber Bragg grating mirrors for 1239 and 1484 nm, we obtained a CW 800 mW/1484 nm Raman fiber laser (RFL) for an actual incident pump power of about 2 W (Nd:YVO₄ power of 6.90 W). The conversion efficiency is as high as 40%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest conversion efficiency of RFL pumped by solid-state laser. The output power instability at 1484 nm in half an hour is less than 3%. In addition, the numerical simulations are also performed. Good agreement between the results of numerical simulation and the results of the experiment has been demonstrated.     

Dual-wavelength oscillation at 1064 and 1342 nm in a passively Q-switched Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser with V<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:YAG as saturable absorber

The efficient dual-wavelength oscillation at 1064 and 1342 nm in the passively Q-switched laser based on Nd:YVO₄/V³⁺:YAG is successfully obtained, as demonstrated in this paper. A total average output power of 2.2 W is obtained with 1.3 W for 1064 nm and 0.9 W for 1342 nm under the incident pump power of 7.7 W, corresponding to a total optical-optical conversion efficiency of 28.2%. The pulse widths are 58 and 54 ns for 1064 and 1342 nm, respectively, with the repetition rate of 89 kHz. Moreover, a rate equation model considering the Gaussian spatial distributions of the intracavity photon density and the initial population-inversion density is presented to characterize the dual-wavelength passive Q-switching operation.     

Red, yellow, green and blue – four-color light from a single, aperiodically poled LiTaO3 crystal

We demonstrate simultaneous quasi-continuous wave generation of red, yellow, green and blue coherent radiation based on quadruple quasi-phase matching (QPM) frequency upconversion from a single, aperiodically poled LiTaO₃ (APPLT) crystal with a diode-pumped Nd:YVO₄ dual-wavelength laser oscillating at 1342 and 1064 nm. We designed and prepared an APPLT crystal, which can provide four pertinent reciprocals for simultaneous quadruple QPM processes. Namely, frequency doubling of 1342 nm generates red light at 671 nm, sum-frequency mixing of 1342 nm and 1064 nm produces yellow light at 593 nm, frequency doubling of 1064 nm achieves green light at 532 nm and sum-frequency mixing of 1342 nm and 671 nm obtains blue light at 447 nm. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.79.Nv; 42.55.Xi; 42.72.Bj     

High-power continuous-wave doubly resonant all-intracavity sum-frequency mixing deep blue laser at 447 nm

In this paper, a high-power continuous-wave deep blue laser at 447 nm with intracavity tripling was achieved. The deep blue laser at 447 nm is obtained by using a doubly cavity, and type-II critical phase matching KTP crystal for intracavity sum-frequency mixing. Through designing of the cavity, the optimum matching of modes and gains for the two wavelengths was obtained. With incident pump power of 30 W for the Nd:YVO₄ crystal and 16 W for the other Nd:YVO₄ crystal, the deep blue laser output of 3.5 W at 447 nm with TEM₀₀ mode was obtained, the beam quality M² value was equal to 1.8 in both horizontal and vertical directions at the maximum output power, and the power stability is better than 3% at the maximum output power during half an hour. The experimental results show that the intracavity sum-frequency mixing by doubly resonant is an effective method for high-power blue laser.     

Diode-pumped Nd:LuVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser at 492 nm with intracavity sum-frequency-mixing in LiB<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript>

We present for the first time a Nd:YVO₄ laser emitting at 1064 nm intracavity pumped by a 916 nm diode-pumped Nd:LuVO₄ laser. A 809 nm laser diode is used to pump the Nd:LuVO₄ crystal emitting at 916 nm, a Nd:YVO₄ laser crystal was pumped at 916 nm and lased at 1064 nm. Intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 916 and 1064 nm was then realized in a LiB₃O₆ (LBO) crystal to reach the blue range. We obtained a continuous-wave output power of 216 mW at 492 nm under 19.6 W of incident pump power at 809 nm.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO4-Nd:CNGG crystals blue laser at 462 nm by intracavity sum-frequency-mixing

We report a laser architecture to obtain continuous-wave (cw) blue radiation at 462 nm. A 808 nm diode-pumped the Nd:YVO₄ crystal emitting at 914 nm. A part of the pump power was then absorbed by the Nd:YVO₄ crystal. The remaining was used to pump the Nd:CNGG crystal emitting at 935 nm. Intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 914 and 935 nm was then realized in a LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal to reach the blue radiation. We obtained a continuous-wave output power of 892 mW at 462 nm with a pump laser diode emitting 18.4 W at 808 nm.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-LBO laser at 544 nm based on intracavity sum frequency generation

A dual-wavelength continuous-wave (CW) diode-pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser that generates simultaneous laser action at the wavelengths 914 and 1342 nm is demonstrated. A total dual-wavelength output power of 1.79 W was achieved at the incident pump power of 18.2 W. Furthermore, intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 914 and 1342 nm was then realized in a LBO crystal to reach the yellow-green range. We obtained a total CW output power of 212 mW at 544 nm.     

High-efficiency Nd:YVO4 laser emission under direct pumping at 880 nm

We report a high-efficiency Nd:YVO₄ laser pumped by an all-solid-state Q-switched Ti:Sapphire laser at 880 nm in this paper. Output power at 1064 nm with different-doped Nd:YVO₄ crystals of 0.4-, 1.0- and 3.0-at.% under the 880 nm pumping was measured, respectively. Comparative results obtained by the traditional pumping at 808 nm into the highly absorbing ⁴F_5/2 level were presented, showing that the slope efficiency and the threshold with respect to the absorbed pump power of the 1.0-at.% Nd:YVO₄ laser under the 880 nm pumping was 17.5% higher and 11.5% lower than those of 808 nm pumping. In a 4-mm-thick, 1.0-at.% Nd:YVO₄ crystal, a high slope efficiency of 75% was achieved under the 880 nm pumping, with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 52.4%.     

Efficient generation of a CW 593.5-nm laser by intracavity sum-frequency mixing with a BiB<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> (BIBO) crystal

A compact, efficient yellow-orange light at 593.5 nm was realized by the intracavity sum-frequency mixing using a BIBO crystal in a diode-pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser. At an incident pump power of 3.5 W, up to 126 mW of CW output light at 593.5 nm was achieved with a 1.5-mm-long critical phase-matching BIBO. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was up to 3.6%, which was comparable to a 5-mm-long LBO. The beam equality was excellent with an ellipticity of 0.97 and output noise of less than 0.8% (rms). Results confirm that the BIBO is an efficient material for frequency conversion in the visible region.     

Efficient continuous-wave eye-safe region signal output from intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator

We report an efficient continuous-wave (CW) tunable intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on the multi-period periodically poled lithium niobate and using a laser diode (LD) end-pumped CW 1064 nm Nd:YVO₄ laser as the pump source. A highly efficiency CW operation is realized through a careful cavity design for mode matching and thermal stability. The signal tuning range is 1401-1500 nm obtained by varying the domain period. The maximum output power of 2.2 W at 1500 nm is obtained with a 17.1 W 808 nm LD power and the corresponding conversion efficiency is 12.9%.