A comprehensive study of Nd:YAG,Nd:YAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript>, Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> and Nd:YGdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> lasers operating at wavelengths of 0.9 and 1.3 μm. Part 2: passively mode locked-operation

This paper reports on the generation of picosecond (ps) laser pulses by self-phase-adjusting additive-pulse-mode-locking (PSA) at wavelengths of 0.9 and 1.3 μm. The main objective of this work was to investigate and compare the characteristic optical properties of ps lasers based on different Nd-doped laser crystals like Nd:YAG, Nd:YAlO₃, Nd:YVO₄ and Nd:GdVO₄. As a result of these investigations a mode-locked Nd:YVO₄ laser for example, generated, ps pulses at 1.3 μm with a duration of 7 ps, a repetition rate of 160 MHz and an average power of 4.7 W. At 0.9 μm pulses with a duration of 1.9 ps were obtained at a repetition rate of 158 MHz and an average power of 2.8 W. PACS  42.70.Hj; 42.65.Re; 42.65.Ky     

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 lasers operating at 1.06 μm wavelength

With a 10-W diode laser to pump Nd:GdVO₄ crystal in a folded cavity, we demonstrated Cr⁴⁺:YAG passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO₄ lasers at 1.06 μm. The maximum average output power of 2.1 W and the highest peak power of 625 W were, respectively, obtained when the initial transmissions of the Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystals were 90% and 80%. Received: 8 September 1999 / Revised version: 30 December 1999 / Published online: 8 March 2000     

A 7-W diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 cw laser at 1.34 μm

A Nd:YVO₄ laser, end-pumped by a fiber-coupled diode-laser array, generates 7.3 W of output power at 1342 nm, the highest so far reported for this host crystal. The slope efficiency is 40% and the output-beam divergence is close to the diffraction limit. An important point in attaining such results is the choice of crystals with low Nd concentration. Received: 16 July 2002 / Published online: 25 October 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +39-050/844333, E-mail: dilieto@df.unipi.it RID="**" ID="**"Permanent address: Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, Italy     

Passive Q-switching of 1.44 μm and 1.34 μm diode-pumped Nd:YAG lasers with a V:YAG saturable absorber

Spectroscopic data of a V³⁺:YAG passive Q-switch crystal were measured. The absorption recovery time was determined to be of 37±7 ns and the ground state absorption cross section was estimated to be 0.7×10^-18 cm² at 1.44 μm and 3.5×10^-18 cm² at 1.34 μm. Passively Q-switched operation of diode pumped 1.44 μm and 1.3 μm Nd:YAG lasers was demonstrated using this crystal as saturable absorber. Average output powers of 1.42 W (1.44 μm) and 1.56 W (1.34 μm) and pulse energies of 24 μJ (1.44 μm) and 25 μJ (1.34 μm) were observed, respectively. Received: 19 August 2002 / Published online: 12 February 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-40/42838-6281, E-mail: kretschmann@physnet.uni-hamburg.de     

Passively Q-Switched Nd,Cr:YAG Laser Simultaneous Dual-Wavelength Operation at 946 nm and 1.3μm

A diode-end-pumped Q-switched high-efficiency Nd,Cr:YAG laser with simultaneous dual-wavelength emission at 946 nm and 1.3μm is demonstrated.The maximum output power of 1.93 W with simultaneous dual-wavelength operation is achieved at an absorbed pump power of 13.32 W and an absorbed slope efficiency of 15.15%.The maximum optical-optical efficiency is 14.49% with pulse widths of 16.38 ns at 946 nm and 26.65 ns at 1.3 μm.A maximum total repetition rate of 43.25 kHz is obtained.     

A high-power continuous-wave diffraction-limited Nd:GdVO4 laser operating at 1.34 μm

High-power and high beam quality continuous-wave (CW) Nd:GdVO₄ lasers operating at 1.34 μm were experimentally demonstrated. The lasers consisted of either one or two crystals, which were both end-pumped by high-power fiber-coupled diode lasers. With one crystal, the maximum CW output power generated was 8.4 W. When two crystals were used, a maximum output power of 15.7 W was achieved with the incident pump power of 76.2 W, showing a slope efficiency of 26.2% and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 20.6%. The beam divergence at an output power of 15 W was measured to be about two times that of the diffraction limit.     

Comparative study of the mode-locking of Nd:GdVO_4 and Nd:YAG lasers with semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors

Stable continuous-wave passive mode-locking of diode-end-pumped Nd:GdVO4 and Nd:YAG lasers with semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) are reported. The comparative study shows that the Nd:GdVO4 crystal is efficient to decrease the Q-switched mode-locking tendency, and easier to continuous-wave (CW) mode lock than Nd:YAG.     

Detection of HCl on the first and second overtone using semiconductor diode lasers at 1.7 μm and 1.2 μm

Sensitivity studies are also performed, to evaluate the minimum detectable concentration of HCl in air. Received: 7 August 1998/Revised version: 5 October 1998     

Performance of a diode-pumped 5 W Nd3+:GdVO4 microchip laser at 1.06 μm

4 as a host for neodymium has several advantages for diode pumping in comparison with other crystals. The absorption cross section of neodymium in GdVO₄ is considerably stronger and broader than in YAG. This allows for the construction of very compact monolithical microchip lasers. In our paper, we report for the first time on a diode-pumped monolithical Nd³⁺([%at.]1.3):GdVO₄ microchip laser at 1.06 μm. A maximum output power of 5 W is achieved. The temporal and the spectral emission properties are described. The beam propagation properties are studied in detail. Received: 23 July 1998 / Revised version: 9 November 1998 / Published online: 24 February 1999     

A 13.3-W laser-diode-array end-pumped Nd:GdVO4 continuous-wave laser at 1.34 μm

We report a high-power laser-diode-array end-pumped 0.3 at.% Nd:GdVO₄ continuous-wave laser operating at 1.34 m. The maximum output power of 13.3 W was obtained at the incident pump power of 49.2 W, giving the corresponding optical conversion efficiency of 27% and the average slope efficiency of 28.5%. The thermal focal length of the Nd:GdVO₄ crystal under the pump power from 15.3 to 50 W was measured experimentally. PACS 42.55.Xi; 42.70.Hj     

Diode-pumped cw and Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser operating at 1.34 μm

A diode-pumped 1.34 m Nd:GdVO₄ laser operating in cw and active Q-switching modes has been demonstrated. 4.15 W of cw output power was obtained at the highest attainable pump power of 12.3 W, resulting in an optical conversion efficiency of 33.7%, the slope efficiency was determined to be 37.6%. In Q-switching operation, a maximum average output power of 2.7 W was generated at pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 50 kHz, with an optical conversion efficiency of 22% and a slope efficiency of 29.2%. The laser pulses with shortest duration, highest energy and peak power were achieved at PRF of 10 kHz, the parameters being 15 ns, 160 J, and 10.7 kW, respectively. By intracavity frequency-doubling with a type II phased-matched KTP crystal, 0.62 W average power at 0.67 m was produced at a PRF of 15 kHz, the resulting pulse energy, peak power, and pulse width being 41.3 J, 2.2 kW, and 19 ns, respectively. A group of analytical formulae, based on rate equations, are presented to evaluate the operational parameters of an actively Q-switched laser. Calculated results were found to be in close consistency with the experimental data.     

Laser oscillation of Er3+:YVO4 and Er3+, Yb3+:YVO4 crystals in the spectral range around 1.6 μm

Laser oscillation around 1.6 μm was realised at room temperature for low-doped Er:YVO₄ crystals (0.5 at % and 1 at %) as well as for Er(1 at %), Yb(5 at %):YVO₄ crystal in continuous-wave mode. The maximum slope of the input–output curve was about 19% (vs. absorbed power) for Er(0.5 at %):YVO₄. The laser oscillation was discretely tunable in the spectral range between 1531 and 1604 nm. Received: 24. August 2000 / Published online: 8 November 2000     

Dual-wavelength CW diode-end-pumped a-cut Nd:YVO4 laser at 1064.5 and 1085.5 nm

A simple and compact dual-wavelength continuous wave (CW) laser-diode end-pumped laser operating simultaneously at 1,064.5 and 1,085.5 nm in a single a-cut Nd:YVO₄ has been demonstrated. We have used two Nd:YVO₄ crystals with different Nd⁺³ concentrations and lengths; 0.1 %-14 mm and 0.25 %-12 mm. The maximum total output power of 5 and 6.18 W, including 1,064.5 and 1,085.5 nm, is achieved at the incident pump power of 22 and 18 W, with a slope efficiency 23.3 and 32.9 %, respectively, for the crystals of 0.1 %-14 mm and 0.25 %-12 mm. The calculations show both wavelengths lasing at 1,064.5 and 1,085.5 nm can possess the same threshold when reflectivity of the output coupler at 1,064.5 nm is less than 87.5 % and, at this condition, the reflectivity of the output coupler at 1,085.5 nm increases nearly linearly with that of 1,064.5 nm.     

Efficient stable simultaneous CW dual-wavelength diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.319 and 1.338 μm

Efficient, simple, and compact laser sources of simulta-neous emissions at multiple wavelengths have shown lotsof application foregrounds in many fields, such as opti-cal communication, photodynamic therapy (PDT), opti-cal calculation, military interaction, environmental mon-itory, laser remote sensing, laser radar, spectroanalysis,medical instrumentation, and scientific research on non-linear optical mixers[1]. In addition, it can also be usedas a pump source of Terahertz-wave generated by n…     

Fabrication and modulation characteristics of InGaAsP/InGaAsP MQW DCPBH lasers at λ ∼ 1.57 μm

InGaAsP/InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well (MQW) double-channel planar-buried heterostructure (DCPBH) lasers emitting at λ∼ 1.57 μm were fabricated by optimizing the epitaxial growth with material characterization. At 25 °C (85 °C), a 1.8-μm-wide and 300-μm-long antireflectivity/high reflectivity coated laser exhibits a threshold current of 8 mA (23 mA) and a slope efficiency of 0.34 mW/mA (0.24 mW/mA) in continuous-wave mode (cw) as a result of the optimized thickness of the p-InP filling layer in the PBH structure with p-n-p-n current blocking layers. The maximum cw output power was approximately 20 mW at 25 °C, which was reduced to 17 mW at 85 °C. The peak wavelength varied from 1572 nm at 25 °C to 1602 nm at 100 °C for a fixed output power of 5 mW, indicating a temperature coefficient of ∼ 0.4 nm/K. The resonance frequency in the small-signal modulation response of devices depends on the etching depth of the U-shaped double channel; it increases from 0.4 GHz without channel etching to 4.3 GHz with 7-μm-thick etching. The full-width at half maximum values in the horizontal and vertical far-field patterns were approximately 24.5° (25.2°) and 29.4° (30.1°), respectively, at 25 °C (85 °C). PACS 42.55.Px; 73.61.Ey; 81.05.Ea     

Diode-pumped continuous-wave and passively Q-switched 1.06 μm YVO4/Nd:GdVO4 laser

In this letter, a diode-pumped continuous-wave and passively Q-switched 1.06 μm laser with a novel composite YVO₄/Nd:GdVO₄ crystal was demonstrated for the first time. Theoretical calculations showed that the temperature distribution in YVO₄/Nd:GdVO₄ crystal was lower than that in GdVO₄/Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:GdVO₄ crystals under the same conditions. After optimizing the mode matching degree, a CW output power of 5.6 W of YVO₄/Nd:GdVO₄ laser was obtained at the incident pump power of 12 W when the output coupler with transmission of 30% was employed. Using Cr^4 +:YAG crystals with initial transmission (T₀) of 80% and 90% as saturable absorbers, the pulsed YVO₄/Nd:GdVO₄ laser characteristics were investigated. At the incident pump power of 12 W, the maximum average output power of 2.76 W and the maximum repetition rate of 189 kHz was achieved when T₀ = 90% Cr^4 +:YAG was used. The shortest pulse width was 28.1 ns when the initial transmission of the used Cr^4 +:YAG was 80%.     

Diode-laser-array end-pumped 14.3-W CW Nd:GdVO4 solid-state laser at 1.06 μm

A diode-laser-array end-pumped efficient CW Nd:GdVO₄ laser at 1.06 μm has been developed. A low-order-mode output power of 14.3 W was obtained at the maximum available pump power of 26 W, giving an optical conversion efficiency of 55% and an average slope efficiency of 62%. The laser output beam quality factor at full pump power was determined to be M²<1.8. It is also shown that only lightly doped Nd:GdVO₄ crystals are suitable for high-power end-pumped lasers. Received: 4 May 1999 / Published online: 29 July 1999