Blue laser emission by intracavity second harmonic generation in Nd:ASL pumped by a tapered amplifier laser diode stabilized by a volume Bragg grating

We present the diode pumping of a Nd:ASL (Sr_1-xLa_x-yNd_yMg_xAl_12-xO₁₉) crystal for second harmonic generation at 453 nm. We have developed a high-brightness pump source based on a tapered amplifier in an extended cavity with a volume Bragg grating for wavelength stabilization. A pump brightness of 110 MW cm^-2 sr^-1 is obtained with a linewidth lower than 80 pm at 798 nm. This laser source is used to pump a Nd:ASL crystal to obtain 300 mW at 906 nm and 53 mW at 453 nm by intracavity doubling with a LBO crystal. PACS  42.55.Xi; 42.55.Px; 42.65.Ky     

Efficient generation of blue light by intracavity frequency doubling of a cw Nd:YAG laser with LBO

We report on the efficient room-temperature operation of ⁴F_3/2–⁴I_9/2 transition in a diode pumped Nd:YAG laser operating at 946 nm. An output power of 5.1 W and a slope efficiency of 23.6% at 946 nm have been obtained. Different LBO crystals of length 3×3×10 mm³, 3×3×15 mm³, 3×3×18 mm³ were selected as frequency doubling material for comparison. A maximum single-ended output power of 1.3 W at 473 nm was achieved by frequency doubling with an optical conversion efficiency of 5%. When the Nd:YAG rod was replaced by the one with high reflectivity coating at 473 nm on the pump side, the output power of blue light was almost twice that without high reflectivity coating for 473 nm at the same pump power level. Moreover, the theoretical optimum length of LBO crystal for intracavity frequency doubling was discussed, and the experimental results made a good agreement with it.     

Harmonic and sum-frequency generation of pulsed laser radiation in BBO,LBO, and KD*P

The optical properties of the nonlinear crystals lithium borate (LBO), barium borate (BBO) and deuterated potassium phosphate (KD*P) are compared for second and third harmonic generation of Nd:YAG laser radiation. In an experimental investigation the conversion efficiency has been measured as a function of the energy density of 8 ns long laser pulses, generated by a commercial Nd:YAG oscillator-amplifier system. In LBO and BBO the second harmonic generation saturates at an energy density of about 1.5 J cm^–2 at efficiencies of 55–60%. In KD*P comparable efficiencies (40–55%) require energy densities of 2–2.6 J cm^–2. Similar results are obtained for frequency tripling. In LBO and BBO saturated efficiencies of 20–25% are measured at an energy density of about 1.5 J cm^–2. In KD*P efficiencies of 20% are obtained at energy densities exceeding 2 J cm^–2. Besides for doubling and tripling of Nd:YAG laser radiation the phase-matching is calculated for frequency conversion of tunable laser light. The results demonstrate that in LBO and BBO phase-matched sum-frequency mixing of UV and infrared laser light generates tunable radiation at wavelengths as short as the transmission cut-off at 160 nm and 190 nm, respectively.     

5.3 W deep-blue light generation by intra-cavity frequency doubling of Nd:GdVO4

We report the efficient compacted deep-blue laser at 456 nm generation by intra-cavity frequency doubling of a continuous-wave (cw) laser operation of a diode-pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser on the ⁴ F _3/2→⁴ I _9/2 transition at 912 nm. The different long LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystals, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature, are used for second harmonic generation (shg) of the laser. At an incident pump power of 30 W, up to 5.3 W of cw output power at 456 nm is achieved with 15-mm-long LBO (3.8 W with 10 mm-long LBO). The conversion efficiency is 17.7% from pump diode input to second harmonic wave output.PACS 42.70.Hj; 42.55.Xi; 42.65.Ky     

2.41 W compact efficient CW blue light generation by intra-cavity frequency doubling of a compact Nd:YAG laser

We report on a laser diode end-pumped Nd:YAG blue laser using a three-mirror-folded cavity. Three different crystals cut for type-I critical phase matching are used for the intra-cavity frequency doubling of the laser: 10-mm-long LiB₃O₅ (LBO), 15-mm-long LBO, and 10-mm-long BiB₃O₆ (BIBO). Up to 2.41 W of continuous wave output power in the blue spectral range at 473 nm is achieved with BIBO crystal (1.89 W with LBO) at the incident pump power of 16 W, the light-to-light conversion efficiency is about 15.1%.     

Scattering-Enhanced Femtosecond Optical Parametric Generation

Scattering-enhanced femtosecond optical parametric generation （OPG） has been observed and studied in detail, which may decrease the pump threshold of OPGs dramatically and may make OPGs reliable. The experimental demonstration in a LiNbO3 crystal shows that strong enough OPG can be obtained at pump intensity of only about 30GW/cm2 which is well below the crystal damage threshold Either a synchronized pulsed laser or a cw laser has been used as the scattering source, of which the wavelength, spectral shape and irradiating angle are not strictly required.     

Designing novel chalcone single crystals with ultrafast nonlinear optical responses and large multi-photon absorption coefficients

A chalcone single crystal, 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one that is transparent over the visible to infrared region is introduced as a new potential material to third-order nonlinear optical applications. The crystal exhibits ultrafast optical response (≤90 fs) and large optical nonlinearity in the wavelength range 800–1200 nm. A very large effective two-photon absorption coefficient β_eff exceeding 120 cm/GW can be obtained with this chalcone crystal, at a low intensity threshold of 41 MW/cm². The mechanism of nonlinear absorption at different levels of intensity has been discussed. The crystal shows no damage against the laser pulse intensity as high as 8 GW/cm². We discuss the molecular and crystal designing of chalcones with large and ultrafast optical nonlinearity combined with low optical cut-off (<450 nm).     

IR-induced nonlinear optics in Ge-doped Bi12TiO20 large-sized nanocrystallites

Photoinduced non-linear optical effects in large-sized (up to 25 nm) nanocrystallites (NC) of Ge-doped Bi₁₂TiO₂₀ (BTO:Ge) incorporated within olygoether photopolymer matrix have been studied. Photoinduced second harmonic generation (PISHG) was measured. Nd:YAG pulsed laser (λ=1.06 μm) was used as a source of photoinducing light. As a fundamental light source for the SHG and two-photon absorption, Er:LiYF₄ laser (λ=2.065 μm) was used. We have found that with increasing IR pump power density, the output doubled frequency SHG signal (λ=1.03 μm) increases and achieves its maximum value at the pump power density about 0.45 GW/cm² and NC size about 12 nm.The values of second-order optical susceptibilities were almost 20% larger than for the pure BTO NC single crystals. With decreasing temperature below 60 K, the SHG signal increases achieving maximal value at LHeT.     

Generation of small bound polarons in lithium niobate crystals on the subpicosecond time scale

Light pulses of 240 fs duration and 388-nm wavelength generate in lithium niobate crystals transient absorption. The absorption changes are observed with delayed ultra-short pulses (wavelength 776 nm) and with continuous-wave light (wavelength 785 nm) over 10 decades from 400 fs up to 10 s after the pump pulse. The decay is well described by one stretched-exponential function over the entire temporal range. We attribute the absorption changes to small bound polarons because of the temporal, spectral, and polarization fingerprints. The polarons are formed in less than 400 fs after the pump illumination, ruling out that phonons with wavenumbers below 100 cm^-1 are the main cause for polaron generation and indicating that the breathing mode of the oxygen octahedra is of relevance. An upper limit of the generated polaron concentration is estimated as ≈4.4×10¹⁸ cm^-3 with an intensity of ≈220 GW/cm². PACS 71.38.Ht; 78.47.+p; 77.84.Dy; 42.50.Gy; 42.70.Mp; 72.20.Jv     

Efficient intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:YLiF<Subscript>4</Subscript>-LiB<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> red laser emission under diode pumping into the emitting level

We report for the first time (to our knowledge) an efficient compact red laser at 660.5 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave laser operation of a diode direct pumped Nd:YLiF₄ (Nd:YLF) laser on the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition at 1321 nm. A LiB₃O₆ (LBO) crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation of the laser. At an absorbed pump power of 16.2 W, as high as 1.5 W of continuous wave output power at 660.5 nm is achieved with 10-mm-long LBO. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 9.3%. Comparative results obtained for the pump with diode laser at 806 nm, into the highly-absorbing ⁴ F _5/2 level, are given in order to prove the advantages of the 880 nm wavelength pumping.     

All-solid-state dual end pumped YVO4:Nd/LBO blue laser with 21.8 W output power at 457 nm

It is reported the efficient compact deep-blue laser at 457 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave (CW) laser operation of a diode-pumped YVO₄:Nd laser on the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _9/2 transition at 914 nm. An LBO crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation (SHG) of the laser. With dual end pump configurations at total incident pump power of 60 W, as high as 21.8 W of CW output power at 457 nm is achieved with 20-mm-long LBO. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 36.3%, and the power stability in 8 h is better than 2.36%.     

Ablation of silicon suboxide thin layers

We investigate the ablation of SiO _x thin films on fused silica substrates using single-pulse exposures at 193 nm and 248 nm. Two ablation modes are considered: front side (the surface of a film is irradiated from above) and rear side (a film is irradiated through its supporting substrate). Fluence is varied from below 200 mJ/cm² to above 3 J/cm². SiO _x films of thickness 200 nm, 400 nm, and 600 nm are ablated. In the case of rear-side illumination, at moderate fluences (around 0.5 mJ/cm²) the ablation depth corresponds roughly to the film thickness, above 1 J/cm² part of the substrate is ablated as well. In the case of front-side ablation the single-pulse ablation depth is limited for all film thicknesses to less than 200 nm even at fluences up to 4 J/cm². Experimental results are discussed in relation to film thickness, fluence, and ablation mode. Simple numerical calculations are performed to clarify the influence of heat transport on the ablation process.     

ITO-free inverted organic solar cells fabricated with transparent and low resistance ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer electrode

Inverted organic solar cells (OSCs) based on poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunctions (BHJ) were fabricated with optimized ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer and conventional indium–tin oxide (ITO) cathode electrodes and their performance was compared. The ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer films showed sheet resistances in the range 3.6–3.9 Ω/sq, while ITO exhibited 14.2 Ω/sq. On the one hand, the carrier concentration gradually decreased from 1.74 × 10²² to 4.33 × 10²¹ cm⁻³ as the ZnO thickness increased from 8 to 80 nm, respectively. The transmittance of the ZnO(40 nm)/Ag(19 nm)/ZnO(40 nm) films was ∼95% at 550 nm, which is comparable to that of ITO (∼96%). The multilayer films were smooth with a root mean square (RMS) roughness of 0.81 nm. OSCs fabricated with the ZnO(40 nm)/Ag(19 nm)/ZnO(40 nm) film showed a power conversion efficiency (2.63%) comparable to that of OSCs with a conventional ITO cathode (2.71%).     

Non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier for few-cycle pulses

Modified parametric coupled equations for three-wave interaction in non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) are presented, in which the effects from the non-collinear configuration have been taken into account. By utilizing this new model, a two-stage OPCPA system based on a BBO crystal is numerically calculated with a split-step Fourier transform algorithm. Tracing the dynamics of the signal wave in the crystal reveals that in the first stage spectral gain narrowing occurs due to the weak input signal intensity and the non-uniform temporal distribution of the pump light. However, in the saturation regime the spectrum of the signal will be broadened as a consequence of back conversion. The simulation shows that it is crucial to correctly control the experimental parameters to balance both processes. For maximizing the energy-bandwidth product (EBP), an optimized configuration is sought by examining several parameters such as pump intensity, seed energy and crystal length. With a pump intensity of 7.75 GW/cm² and a crystal length between 3.75 and 4.25 mm pulses with a sub-10 fs duration can be amplified with a total gain of up to 1.7×10⁶.     

Highly efficient intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:GdVO4-LBO red laser at 670 nm under direct 880 nm pumping

We report the efficient compact red laser at 670 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave laser operation of a diode direct pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser on the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition at 1340 nm. An LBO crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation of the laser. At an absorbed pump power of 16.2 W, as high as 5.1 W of continuous wave output power at 670 nm is achieved with 15-mm-long LBO. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 0.31, and the fluctuation of the red output power was better than 3.0% in the given 30 min. Comparative results obtained for the pump with diode laser at 808 nm, into the highly-absorbing ⁴ F _5/2 level, are given in order to prove the advantages of the 880 nm wavelength pumping.     

高效转换的大功率皮秒脉冲激光器

本文描述我们设计的带抗共振环(ARR)的对撞脉冲锁模(CPM)非稳腔Nd:YAP和Nd:YAG激光器,该激光腔结合了CPM腔脉宽窄、工作稳定和非稳腔输出能量高的特点,是一理想的高功率激光器同时选择了KTP、BBO和LBO等优良非线性晶体作为腔内倍频元件,实现高效倍频转换获得×10mJ和5GW/cm²的高能量和高功率绿光皮秒脉冲输出,倍频转换效率高达(50～70)%.     

Part 2: Ultra-short pulse laser patterning of very thin indium tin oxide on glass substrates

We investigate selective patterning of ultra-thin 20 nm Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films on glass substrates, using 343, 515, and 1030 nm femtosecond (fs), and 1030 nm picoseconds (ps) laser pulses. An ablative removal mechanism is observed for all wavelengths at both femtosecond and picoseconds time-scales. The absorbed threshold fluence values were determined to be 12.5 mJ cm⁻² at 343 nm, 9.68 mJ cm⁻² at 515 nm, and 7.50 mJ cm⁻² at 1030 nm for femtosecond and 9.14 mJ cm⁻² at 1030 nm for picosecond laser exposure. Surface analysis of ablated craters using atomic force microscopy confirms that the selective removal of the film from the glass substrate is dependent on the applied fluence. Film removal is shown to be primarily through ultrafast lattice deformation generated by an electron blast force. The laser absorption and heating process was simulated using a two temperature model (TTM). The predicted surface temperatures confirm that film removal below 1 J cm⁻² to be predominately by a non-thermal mechanism.     

Nonlinear optical absorption and refraction of epitaxial Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin films on (001) MgO substrates

Highly epitaxial Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ (BST) ferroelectric thin films were fabricated on (001) MgOsubstrates by pulsed laser deposition. The nonlinear optical absorption coefficients (β) and refraction indices (γ) of the BST thin films on (001) MgO substrates were investigated using the single beam Z-scan technique with femtosecond laser pulses at the wavelengths of 790 nm and 395 nm, respectively, at room temperature. The nonlinear absorption coefficients of BST thin films were measured to be ∼0.087 cm/GW and ∼0.77 cm/GW at 790 nm and 395 nm, respectively. The nonlinear refraction indices of BST thin films exhibit a strong dispersion from a positive value of 6.1×10^-5 cm²/GW at 790 nm to a negative value of -4.0×10^-5 cm²/GW at 395 nm near band gap. The dispersion of γ is roughly consistent with Sheik-Bahae’s theory for the bound electronic nonlinear refraction resulting from the two-photon resonance. These results show that the BST film is a promising material as a candidate for nonlinear optical applications. PACS 42.70.Mp; 78.20.-e; 81.05.-t     

Linear photogalvanic current excited in sillenite crystals by femtosecond laser pulses

We observe electric pulses generated in sillenite crystals (Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ and Bi₁₂TiO₂₀) by 100-fs laser pulses at the wavelength of 400 nm (below the band gaps of both crystals). The peak value of the current pulses scales linearly with the intensity of laser pulses up to ∼45 GW/cm². The direction of the induced current depends on the polarization state of the laser pulse. This polarization dependence and features of the current detection via charge accumulation at the sample electrodes allow us to conclude that the electric pulses are generated due to the linear photogalvanic effect.     

Parametric generation of tunable picosecond pulses in proustite between 1.2 and 8 μm

Infrared pulses were generated over a wide tuning range in a single-path system consisting of Nd:YAG laser pulses and two proustite crystals. A bandwidth of approximately 10 cm^-1 for idler pulses was observed. The energy conversion efficiencies varied strongly with frequency between 10^-2 and 10^-4. Bulk damage did not occur for pump intensities up to 6 GW/cm².