Laser-pumped molecular laser

The parameters of laser-pumped molecular lasers are investigated. It is established that the energy and tuning characteristics of an NH₃ laser (E_g = 1.5 J, efficiency 20%, P_av = 20 W, radiation frequency tuning band 753–890 cm^-1) are decisively influenced by the addition of N₂. A focusing raster optical-pumping system has made it possible to obtain a specific lasing energy 12 J/liter. A CF₄ laser with lasing energy 40 mJ operates in the 612–655 cm^-1 band. Experiments on dissociation of the molecules CCl₄ and UF₆ were carried out with the aid of NH₃ and CF₄ lasers. The systems and methods of producing Raman lasers (RL) are presented. An effective RL amplifier on rotational transitions in compressed H₂, which transforms tens of beams of Nd lasers into one coherent beam of the first Stokes component with λ ? 1.13 μm at an efficiencyup to 70%, is described.     

UV laser photofragment GaCH3 detected by far UV laser mass spectrometry

The GaCH₃ radical has been directly detected by far UV laser mass spectrometry for the first time, as a UV laser photofragment from gaseous trimethylgallium Ga(CH₃)₃, but not from triethylgallium, Ga(C₂H₅)₃. The relative yield Y() of GaCH₃ was measured, at various UV photolysis laser wavelengths =193, 210 and 245 nm, and follows the absorption spectrum of the Ga(CH₃)₃ precursor molecules.     

Effects of laser pulse wavelength and laser fluence on the characteristics of silver nanoparticle generated by laser ablation

Electrically pumped ultraviolet random lasing was achieved in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) diodes based on ZnO films at room temperature. The ZnO films were grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Two different kinds of insulator layers, SiO _x (0<x≤2) and AlO _x (0<x≤1.5) were deposited by electron beam evaporation. X-ray diffraction experiments found these oxide layers were amorphous (or microcrystals), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the Si and Al were fully oxidized. Compared with devices using SiO _x as the insulator layer, diodes with evaporated AlO _x layers showed a lower working threshold forward current (～20 mA to ～26 mA) and higher emission intensity. Periodic features indicating formation of closed-loop paths were deduced by the power Fourier transform of electroluminescence spectra. The cavity length of both devices increased as forward currents increased, while a larger cavity length was always obtained in the AlO _x -involved device under the same working current. The improved performance was attributed to larger hole amount in AlO _x layers. These results revealed that evaporated AlO _x can serve as good electron blocking and hole supplying layers for hetero-structures.     

Observation of photon echoes using a nitrogen laser pumped dye laser

Photon echoes have been observed using a nitrogen laser pumped dye laser as the excitation source. The echo was obtained in the ³H₄→³P₀ transition in Pr³⁺:LaF₃. The dependence of echoes on magnetic field and temperature was measured.     

Accurate description of ultra-short tightly focused Gaussian laser pulses and vacuum laser acceleration

High-order correction terms to the expression of the field of ultra-short tightly focused Gaussian laser pulses are derived. Terms up to seventh order in the small dimensionless spatial parameter s=1/(k₀w₀₀) and first order in the small dimensionless temporal parameter ε=1/(ω₀t₀) are explicitly presented (ω₀=ck₀ the central oscillatory frequency, 2t₀ the pulse duration, w₀₀ the beam waist radius at the central frequency ω₀). To evaluate the correction efficacy, both the corrected and the paraxial field equations are used in detailed simulation studies of laser/electron interaction dynamics. Special attention is given to the vacuum laser acceleration scheme. The influence on the electron dynamics due to the diffraction edge field of a tightly focused laser beam is also investigated. PACS  42.25.Bs; 42.60.Jf; 41.75.Jv     

Ultrafast laser pulses generated from the chromium-doped cunyite laser

Femtosecond pulses were generated from a Cr⁴⁺: Cunyite laser using a combination of a broadband semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), chirped mirrors, and passive mode locking. The astigmatically compensated asymmetric X-cavity with a 4.5-mm-long Cr⁴⁺:Ca₂GeO₄ sample was operated with a 2.5% output coupler. Dispersion compensation was achieved using chirped mirrors. During self-starting mode-locked operation, pulses as short as 365 fs were generated at a pulse repetition rate of 100 MHz with output power of 70 mW and a spectral bandwidth of 5.2 nm at the center wavelength of 1432 nm.     

Infrared laser modulation spectroscopy

The lack of sensitivity in far infrared of conventional modulation techniques can be overcome by the use of a laser beam as a powerful high resolution infrared source. As an illustration of these features we describe a thermoreflectance experiment performed on mercury telluride using a frequency stabilised CO₂ laser. In this experiment a thin slab of HgTe was illuminated by the beam of the laser. A continuous shift of the Γ_6v?Γ_8c energy interval was produced by a slow temperature variation while the sample was submitted to a slight temperature modulation obtained by low frequency Joule heating. Synchronous and direct detection of the reflected beam gave the relative variation of reflectivity as a function of the sample temperature. Several spectra obtained at different emission lines enable us to determine the energy difference (E_g) between Γ_6v and Γ_8c inverted states. As a first approach a qualificative fit has been obtained with a simple model of dielectric constant and its temperature derivative. These results give the first direct determination of E_g near room temperature E_g = ? 117.04 meV at T = 286 ± 2 K.     

XeCl laser ablation of polyetheretherketone

Ablation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a high temperature thermoplastic, by XeCl laser radiation occurs at fluences in excess of 0.07±0.01 J cm^–2. The volatile products of ablation are CO and C₂H₂ with smaller quantities of CH₄, C₄H₂, C₆H₆ and other C₃ and C₄ hydrocarbons. At fluences close to the threshold ablation produces involatile material of relatively high molecular weight but at high fluences extensive disruption of the PEEK structure occurs with conversion of all of the oxygen in the polymer to carbon monoxide.     

Optical waveguides in laser crystals

This article reviews the recent research on different types of planar and channel crystalline optical waveguides, fabrication methods such as liquid phase epitaxy, pulsed laser deposition, thermal bonding, reactive ion or ion beam etching, wet chemical etching, ion in-diffusion, proton exchange, ion beam implantation, and femtosecond laser writing, as well as waveguide laser operation of rare-earth and transition-metal ions in oxide crystalline materials such as Al₂O₃, Y₃Al₅O₁₂, YAlO₃, KY(WO₄)₂, and LiNbO₃. To cite this article: M. Pollnau, Y.E. Romanyuk, C. R. Physique 8 (2007).     

Two-photon optically pumped laser

At high temperature, the transmission peaks of a Fabry-Perot cavity filled with rubidium show sharp structures when the frequency of the laser is close to the 5S_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} - 5D_{$\text{5}\text{2}$} two-photon transition. These structures correspond to a laser emission between 5D_{$\text{5}\text{2}$} and 5P_{$\text{3}\text{2}$}. The wavelength of this laser emission (7759 Å) is smaller than the exciting wavelength (7779 Å).     

An injection-locked single-mode tea CO2 laser for SMM laser pumping

A D₂O laser has been developed for collective Thomson scattering measurements of ion temperature in high temperature plasmas. A pulse duration and a spectral width of a high power D₂O laser has been successfully controlled for this purpose, by using a TEA CO₂ laser injection-locked by an etalon-tuned TEA CO₂ laser as a pump source.     

Infrared diode laser spectroscopy

Three types of lasers (double-heterostructure 66 K InAsSb/InAsSbP laser diode, room temperature, multi quantum wells with distributed feedback (MQW with DFB) (GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb based) diode laser and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) (GaSb based) have been characterized using Fourier transform emission spectroscopy and compared. The photoacoustic technique was employed to determine the detection limit of formaldehyde (less than 1 ppmV) for the strongest absorption line of the v₃ + v₅ band in the emission region of the GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb diode laser. The detection limit (less than 10 ppbV) of formaldehyde was achieved in the 2820 cm⁻¹ spectral range in case of InAsSb/InAsSbP laser (fundamental bands of v₁, v₅). Laser sensitive detection (laser absorption together with high resolution Fourier transform infrared technique including direct laser linewidth measurement, infrared photoacoustic detection of neutral molecules (methane, form-aldehyde) is discussed.     

Frequencies of cw FIR laser lines for use in laser magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A transversely pumped far-infrared laser cavity has been used to discover two optically pumped laser lines: the 357.7 μm line from H₂C=CF₂ and the 242.3 μm line from CH₃OH. Using heterodyne techniques, the frequencies of fourteen far-infrared laser emissions have been measured, six for the first time. PACS  07.57.Hm; 42.55.Lt; 42.62.Eh     

Discovery and characterization of optically pumped far-infrared laser emissions using laser magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A laser magnetic resonance spectrometer has been used to discover and subsequently measure a far-infrared laser emission: the 166.6-micron line of CH₂F₂, optically pumped by the 9P24 CO₂ laser. By recording spectra for the NH radical, the frequency of this laser emission has been determined to be 1799950±13 MHz. Spectra for the NH radical were also recorded with two other far-infrared laser emissions: the 160.4-micron line of N₂H₄ (9P46 CO₂ pump) and the 328.6-micron line of ¹³CH₃OH (9P12 CO₂ pump). From the NH spectra, a discrepancy of 2.1 GHz with the previously measured laser frequency was identified for the 160.4-micron line. A three-laser heterodyne system was then used to remeasure the frequency to be 1868475.5±0.5 MHz. The NH spectra were also used to determine the frequency for the 328.6-micron line to be 912366±7 MHz, in agreement with the value previously calculated from the Rydberg–Ritz combination principle. PACS 07.57.Hm; 32.60.+i; 42.62.Eh     

Optothermal effects of laser modes in laser materials processing

All laser materials processing involves two fundamental phenomena: the conversion of optical energy into thermal energy, and the generation of thermal stresses in the laserprocessed materials. The distributions of the thermal energy and stresses in the substrate depend on the laser mode used for materials processing. A proper understanding of the temperature and stress distributions is essential for producing high-quality products using the laser technology. The solution of the complete thermoelastic problem is very complex and requires numerical methods. This paper presents simple analytic expressions for the temperature and thermal stress distributions in the substrate processed with TEM₀₀ and TEM _inf01 ^sup* mode laser beams. The temperature is found to be maximum at the point that encounters the maximum laser intensity. The thermal stress distributions are found to be different owing to the differences in the laser modes used for this study.     

An optically-pumped multigas Far-IR laser

We report here the operation of an optically-pumped multigas Far-IR laser. In our experiment, three different gases (CH₃OH, CH₃Br, CH₃I) were simultaneously introduced into the Far-IR cavity. By adjusting the partial pressures of the gases and by tuning the appropriate CO₂ laser pump line, we were able to obtain the laser action for each one of them as efficiently as is observed when the gases are present by themselves.     

CO2 laser drives extreme ultraviolet nano-lithography — second life of mature laser technology

It was shown both theoretically and experimentally that nanosecond order laser pulses at 10.6 micron wavelength were superior for driving the Sn plasma extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source for nano-lithography for the reasons of higher conversion efficiency, lower production of debris and higher average power levels obtainable in CO₂ media without serious problems of beam distortions and nonlinear effects occurring in competing solid-state lasers at high intensities. The renewed interest in such pulse format, wavelength, repetition rates in excess of 50 kHz and average power levels in excess of 18 kiloWatt has sparked new opportunities for a matured multi-kiloWatt CO₂ laser technology. The power demand of EUV source could be only satisfied by a Master-Oscillator-Power-Amplifier system configuration, leading to a development of a new type of hybrid pulsed CO₂ laser employing a whole spectrum of CO₂ technology, such as fast flow systems and diffusion-cooled planar waveguide lasers, and relatively recent quantum cascade lasers. In this paper we review briefly the history of relevant pulsed CO₂ laser technology and the requirements for multi-kiloWatt CO₂ laser, intended for the laser-produced plasma EUV source, and present our recent advances, such as novel solid-state seeded master oscillator and efficient multi-pass amplifiers built on planar waveguide CO₂ lasers.     

On-line computer controlled cw dye laser spectrometer for laser isotope separation

An on-line cw dye laser multichannel spectrometer is described, which can be controlled by FORTRAN. Automatic tuning of a dye laser to the wavelength of maximum excitation selectivity for photochemical isotope separation is achieved. Applying the system to the selective photoaddition of iodine chloride ICl to acetylene, an enrichment factor of³⁷Cl in the photoproduct C₂H₂ICl of β=100±5 was obtained. Both stable chlorine isotopes can be enriched to more than 97% purity in a single step, starting from natural samples in both cases.     

Scanning the laser beam for ultrafast pulse laser cleaning of paint

Aligned arrays of N₂-encapsulated multilevel branched carbon nanotubes were synthesized using a simple one step CVD method by pyrolysis of ferrocene and acetonitrile. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and elemental mapping studies reveal that gaseous nitrogen was encapsulated in the carbon nanotubes. Batch-type pyrolysis of catalysts induced flow fluctuation of the reaction gases, resulting in the growth of branched junctions. Molecular nitrogen extruded rapidly along conical catalyst particles inducing N₂ encapsulation inside the branched nanotubes. PACS 07.78.+s; 61.46.+w; 81.07.De; 81.15.Gh     

A potential hydroxyl ultraviolet laser

A strong emission band extending from 3060 to 3120 Å was observed following proton beam excitation of an Ar-H₂O mixture. This emission band was assigned to the transition of OH(A²Σ⁺)_υ=0 → OH(X²Π)_υ=0. At high argon partial pressure (> 200 torr), the precursor of this emission band is believed to be the argon excimer Ar^★₂(1_u). The fluorescence efficiency of Ar-H₂O is estimated to be a factor of 4 times that of Ar-N₂. Development of a highly efficient, tunable uv laser by e-beam pumping is promising.