Efficient and highly photostable solid-state dye lasers based on modified dipyrromethene.BF2 complexes incorporated into solid matrices of poly(methyl methacrylate)

We report on the laser action of modified dipyrromethene.BF₂ complexes both dissolved in poly(methyl methacrylate) and copolymerized with methyl methacrylate. All recently synthesized dyes have the chromophore core of laser dye pyrromethene 567, differing in the substituent in position 8. The new dyes showed important and most significant increases in both lasing efficiency and photostability. When the laser samples were pumped transversely at 534 nm, laser emission was obtained with efficiencies of over 30% in most cases, to be compared with a lasing efficiency of 12% exhibited by reference dye pyrromethene 567 under the same experimental conditions. Some of the materials exhibited highly photostable laser action, with no sign of degradation in the laser output after 60000 pump pulses at the same position of the sample at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, whereas the laser emission of reference dye pyrromethene 567 dropped to zero after less than 40000 pump pulses. Received: 19 November 2002 / Revised version: 20 February 2003 / Published online: 9 April 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +34-91/564-2431, E-mail: acostela@iqfr.csic.es     

Large offset far infrared laser lines generation from the C-O stretching Q-branch of 13CD3OD

2 laser of wide tunability to pump ¹³CD₃OD we could observe 10 new far infrared laser lines ranging from 109 μm to 472 μm. The lines were generated by pumping infrared absorbing transitions of large offset appertaining to the C-O stretching Q-branch. All lines were characterised in wavelength, polarisation, optimum pressure of operation and precise offset measurements. Received: 17 September 1996/Revised version: 18 November 1996     

Lasing action of rhodamine B in polyacrylic acid films

 Rhodamine B (Rh-B) has been embedded in PolyAcrylic acid (PAA) films. The materials are studied for the laser action with nitrogen laser excitation. The lasing efficiency of Rh-B/PAA films is comparable to that of rhodamine 6G in methanol. There is a 50% reduction in the laser intensity of the films with 2600 pulses from the N₂ laser (2 Hz). The photostability of these materials is far superior to that of other polymeric materials and is comparable to that of sol–gel materials. Received: 22 May 1996 /Revised version: 10 July 1996     

Cathode sputtered He-Zn laser

-15 cm², which indicates a possibility for laser action on the 210 nm Zn II line. The maximum laser power obtained was 78 mW for the infrared lines and 72 mW for the blue lines. Received: 23 July 1996/Revised version: 12 December 1996     

Nonlinear Hanle effect in the active discharge of an argon laser

 We present experimental evidence of the NonLinear Hanle Effect (NLHE) on the 488 nm transition in an active discharge of an argon laser. Experimental data are used to estimate the homogeneous linewidth of the upper level of the transition. The role of the NLHE in the laser power enhancement is also discussed. Received: 22 February 1996 / Revised version: 17 June 1996     

Vacuum ultraviolet gain measurements in optically pumped LiYF4:Nd3+

 We present measurements of the net-induced gain on the 5d–4f transition at 186 nm in LiYF₄ : Nd³⁺ optically pumped by radiation from a molecular fluorine laser. It is found that for LiYF₄ : Nd³⁺, one of a series of potential continuously tunable VUV lasers, relatively strong excited-state absorption results in net-induced loss. The prospects for VUV laser operation being realised in other rare-earth-doped fluorides is discussed. Received: 4 March 1996/Revised version: 10 July 1996     

Laser performance of pyrromethene 567 dye in solid matrices of methyl methacrylate with different comonomers

Laser performance of pyrromethene 567 (PM567) dye dissolved in pure poly(methyl methacrylate) homopolymer and its copolymers with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-phenoxyethyl acrylate, and 2,2,2-trifluoromethyl methacrylate has been investigated. The chosen monomers were selected to mimic solvents used in a previous study on the photophysical and lasing properties of PM567 in liquid solution in order to establish correlations between the lasing properties of PM567 in liquid and solid solutions. The vol/vol proportion of the different comonomers in each copolymer formulation was systematically varied, and the effect of each composition on the lasing properties of PM567 was evaluated. The laser samples were transversely pumped at 534 nm with 5.5-mJ pulses from a frequency-doubled Q-switched Nd:KGW laser. Lasing efficiencies of up to 30% and good photostabilities, with a drop of the initial laser output of 20% after 10000 pump pulses in some of the solid samples, were demonstrated. Received: 2 June 1999 / Revised version: 18 July 1999 / Published online: 3 November 1999     

The homogeneity of a stabilized discharge-pumped XeCl* laser

* laser arrangement. The special pumping technique of this laser discharge is based on the additional use of a stabilizing low-current preliminary discharge. The model takes into account the time-dependent electron Boltzmann equation including electron–electron interaction for the determination of the electron kinetics, an extensive reaction kinetics involving various heavy particles and photons, and the relevant electrical circuit equations. The study has shown that density perturbations of preionization electrons lead to the inhomogeneity of the discharge plasma and the laser output. Furthermore, the impact of the spatial distribution of preionization electrons, of the HCl portion of the gas mixture, and of a low-current preliminary discharge for the discharge operation is discussed. Received: 10 September 1996/Revised version: 21 July 1997     

Efficient distributed feedback solid state dye laser with a dynamic grating

We present the first operation of a distributed feedback solid state dye laser with a dynamic, pump-induced grating. Broadly tunable, narrow band operation in the region of 616 nm (604–649 nm) has been demonstrated with perylene red laser dye doped in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), when pumped with a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser. Conversion efficiencies of 20%, corresponding to 35% optical-to-optical efficiency, have been measured. The laser bandwidth was between 0.01 and 0.04 nm, and smooth tuning over more than 200 GHz has been demonstrated. Received: 29 March 1999 / Published online: 24 June 1999     

Numerical modeling of a XeCl laser excited by microwave discharge

12 , 169 (1987). Reasonably good agreements in the peak output power and laser efficiency have been achieved. Model calculations also predict that an efficiency as high as 2.7% can be obtained once the conditions of the above-mentioned experiments have been optimized. From the consideration that the skin depth effectively limits the absorption length of the microwave pumping and hence the excitable volume, it is concluded that high input power densities (>2 MW/cm³) and higher gas pressures (between 3 and 10 atm) are the preferable conditions to achieve higher efficiency. Preliminary calculations on CCl₄ containing XeCl gas mixtures show that improvement in laser efficiency by several folds may be achieved as a result of the higher intrinsic efficiency of excimer formation. Received: 23 September 1996 / Revised version: 25 March 1997     

Comparative laser study of Nd:KGW and Nd:YAG near 1.3 μm

A comparative study of Nd:KGW and Nd:YAG laser crystals pumped by flashlamp has been conducted near 1.3 μm with output energy up to 1 J and at a repetition rate up to 50 Hz. An average power of 23 W for KGW in free-running mode was achieved with a total efficiency better than 2.8 % for the Nd:KGW and 1.8 % for the Nd:YAG. Received: 9 December 1996 / Revised version: 10 February 1997     

Blow-off of aluminium films

The blow-off of Al targets from a transparent support by single pulses of intense laser irradiation through the support is investigated for target thicknesses up to some m. The blow-off process is theoretically described by calculations of the phase front dynamics in the target, adopted from Harrach's analytical solutions for laser heating and burnthrough of opaque solid slabs. Experimentally two laser beam sources were used: a Nd:YAG laser with a Gaussian intensity profile and a Nd:Glass-laser system with a homogenized flat-top profile. Two types of removal mechanism could be identified. In the first mode (low laser intensities and/or thin targets) the target is completely molten and can easily be blown-off by the vapor originating at the target-support interface. In the second mode (high laser intensities and/or thick targets) superheating of the liquid Al or a burst of the remaining solid layer of the target occurs. In both cases in the second mode the blow-off process is characterized by higher vapor pressures.     

Efficient tunable laser operation of diode- pumped Yb,Tm:KY(WO4)2 around 1.9 μm

A new laser medium – Yb,Tm:KY(WO₄)₂ – for diode pumped solid state laser applications operating around 1.9 to 2.0 μm has been investigated and the main laser characteristics are presented. Diode pumping at 981 nm and around 805 nm was realised. For 981-nm pumping, the excitation occurs into Yb³⁺ ions followed by an energy transfer to Tm³⁺ions. A slope efficiency of 19% was realised. For pumping around 805 nm, the excitation occurs directly into the Tm³⁺ ions. Here a maximum slope efficiency of 52%, an optical efficiency of 40%, and output powers of more than 1 W were realised. Using a birefringent quartz plate as an intracavity tuning element, the tunability of the Yb,Tm:KY(WO₄)₂ laser in the spectral range of 1.85–2.0 μm has been demonstrated. The possibility of laser operation in a microchip cavity configuration for this material has also been shown. Received: 12 March 2002 / Revised version: 20 May 2002 / Published online: 25 September 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-531/592-4116, E-mail: stefan.kueck@ptb.de     

Efficient rotational Raman conversion of XeCl laser radiation in H2

2 is investigated with a XeCl laser. It is shown that energy conversion to rotational Stokes radiation can be efficiently obtained by properly choosing the focusing geometry of pump radiation and the pressure of the Raman medium even at moderate pulse energies. Energy conversion to the first rotational Stokes at 313.8 nm with efficiencies as high as 38% is obtained with a circularly polarised XeCl pump beam of 10-mJ energy focused in 30 bar of H₂. The spectral and optical characteristics of the pump and the rotational Stokes radiation are analysed. Received: 29 May 1996/Revised version: 7 March 1997     

The catalytic activity of gold-plated electrodes in a slab-geometry CO2 laser

2 laser in a slab geometry with a heated gold-plated electrode is shown. The catalytic activity of the gold electrodes to regenerate the laser gas can substantially increase the optimum output power of the CO₂ laser. An output power of 116 W is obtained for a slab that was 370 mm long and had a cross section of 2.5 mm×15 mm. Received: 18 July 1996     

Intensity resonances in a double-mode HeNe/CH4 laser with synchronized modes

4 gas laser with an intracavity absorbing cell is studied experimentally and theoretically at a modulation frequency approximately equal to the intermode beat frequency. It is revealed that in the vicinity of the absorption-line centre the intensity of every mode for certain system parameters displays resonance structures narrower than the homogeneous line width of the absorption line. This occurs when the range of mode synchronization is near the absorption-line centre and its size is less than the homogeneous width of the absorption line. Received: 29 February 1996/Revised version: 4 February 1997     

Low-Threshold Conjugated Polymer Distributed Feedback Lasers on InP Substrate

We demonstrate a low threshold polymer solid state thin-film distributed feedback （DFB） laser on an InP substrate with the DFB structure. The used gain medium is conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-（2-ethylhexyloxy）-l, 4- phenylenevinylene] （MEH-PPV） doped polystyrene （PS） and formed by drop-coating method. The second order Bragg scattering region on the InP substrate gave rise to strong feedback, thus a lasing emission at 638.9nm with a line width of 1.2nm is realized when pumped by a 532nm frequency-doubled Nd：YAG pulsed laser. The devices show a laser threshold as low as 7n J/pulse.     

Comparison of cw laser performance of Nd:KGW, Nd:YAG, Nd:BEL, and Nd:YVO4 under laser diode pumping

4 crystals under low-power laser diode end-pumping. Output power dependencies on the pump power and the pump wavelength of these diode-pumped solid state lasers were investigated. The high Nd³⁺ concentration of the Nd:KGW samples used in our measurements as well as up-conversion and exited-state absorption processes in Nd:KGW cause the reduced laser output power dependence on the pump wavelength which was experimentally observed. At pump levels up to 270 mW a slope efficiency of η_sl≈46% was reached for the Nd:KGW laser. Nd:KGW microchip laser operation with a slope efficiency of η_sl≈50% was demonstrated. Thermal lensing in Nd:KGW at pump powers up to 3 W was measured. Received: 4 August 1997     

Linear and cross-linked polymeric solid-state dye lasers based on 8-substituted alkyl analogues of pyrromethene 567

The lasing properties of analogues of the commercial laser dye pyrromethene 567 (PM567) incorporated (dissolved or copolymerized) into polymeric matrices have been studied using both linear and cross-linked methyl methacrylate-based copolymers with different degrees of functionalization. All synthesized dyes have the chromophore core of PM567 but with an ω-acyloxypolymethylene chain at position 8. In general, the new materials exhibited laser emission with higher efficiencies and much higher photostabilities than those containing the commercial dye PM567 under the same experimental conditions. Lasing efficiencies of up to 40% were obtained under transversal pumping at 534 nm. The highest photostabilities, with the laser output remaining stable or dropping by less than 15% after 100 000 pump pulses at the same position of the sample, were reached in cross-linked materials with dyes covalently linked to the polymeric chains. When the polymeric samples were incorporated into a grazing-incidence grating oscillator, narrow-line-width operation with tuning ranges of up to 40 nm was obtained. These results show that efficient and photostable solid-state dye lasers competitive with their liquid counterparts can be developed by adequate chemical modifications in the dye molecules, as well as by the selection of appropriate polymeric formulations.     

Gas contaminant effect in a discharge-excited ArF excimer laser

4 , O₂ and N₂ in a discharge-excited ArF-excimer laser. Measured characteristics include laser pulse energy, small-signal gain, and laser spectrum. Measurement results indicate that laser pulse energy degradation for such impurities (<100 ppm) is mainly due to optical absorption. It has also been found that for O₂ contaminants laser pulse energy degradation is strongly dependent on operational repetition rates; at higher repetition rates, an increased concentration of O₂ impurities results in a reduced small-signal gain and a consequent decline in laser pulse energy. Received: 12 June 1997/Revised version: 3 December 1997