High-energy single longitudinal mode 1 ns all-solid-state 266 nm lasers

A single longitudinal mode (SLM) short pulse high energy all-solid-state ultraviolet laser is demonstrated in this paper. Through the use of a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) architecture, we have been able to provide high-energy outputs with the combination of short pulses, good beam quality and SLM typically produced by a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. The passively Q-switched SLM Nd:YAG laser in a twisted-mode cavity is operated as the seed source. After the seed is amplified by a double-pass pre-amplifier and a single-pass main-amplifier, the 100 μJ, 1064 nm, ∼1 ns seeding pulse was amplified up to 400 mJ energy in the total pulse train. Using a KTP crystal for second-harmonic generation and a CLBO for fourth-harmonic generation, we successfully obtained a short pulse, high energy ultraviolet laser of 266 nm, with the output energy of 108 mJ, pulse width 1 ns and M²<5. PACS 42.65.Ky; 42.72.Bj; 42.60.Da