Refractive index change mechanisms in femtosecond laser written ceramic Nd:YAG waveguides: micro-spectroscopy experiments and beam propagation calculations

The effect that femtosecond laser filamentation has on the refractive index of Nd:YAG ceramics, and which leads to the formation of waveguide lasers, has been studied by micro-spectroscopy imaging, beam propagation experiments and calculations. From the analysis of the Nd³⁺ luminescence and Raman images, two main types of laser induced modifications have been found to contribute to the refractive-index change: (i) a lattice defect contribution localized along the self-focusing volume of the laser pulses, in which lattice damage causes a refractive-index decrease, and (ii) a lattice strain-field contribution around and inside the filaments, in which the pressure-driven variation of the inter-atomic distances causes refractive-index variations. Scanning near-field optical-transmission and end-coupling experiments, in combination with beam propagation calculations, have been used to quantitatively determine the corresponding contribution of each effect to the refractive-index field of double-filament waveguides. Results indicate that the strain-field induced refractive-index increment is the main mechanism leading to waveguiding, whereas the damage-induced refractive-index reduction at filaments leads to a stronger mode confinement.     

Thermal analysis and optimization of proton beam window for the CSNS

The proton beam window (PBW) is one of the key devices of China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). It is the boundary between transport line and target. This paper will present a new PBW structure and detailed thermal-stress analysis. The energy deposition and scattering effect need to be low when the beam passes through the PBW, so proper selection of material and structure is important. According to the study of energy deposition, A5083-O is selected as the PBW material. A single-double layer structure is first proposed based on the study of cooling structures. Thermal analysis and structural optimization are discussed, and transient analysis is done to show the effect of the beam pulse. Besides, safety is confirmed for cases of cooling tunnel blockage, beam profile shrinkage, or centroid orbit offset. All these analyses show the newly designed PBW structure can meet the requirements of the CSNS well.     

Adaptive slit beam shaping for direct laser written waveguides

We demonstrate an improved method for fabricating optical waveguides in bulk materials by means of femtosecond laser writing. We use an LC spatial light modulator (SLM) to shape the beam focus by generating adaptive slit illumination in the pupil of the objective lens. A diffraction grating is applied in a strip across the SLM to simulate a slit, with the first diffracted order mapped onto the pupil plane of the objective lens while the zeroth order is blocked. This technique enables real-time control of the beam-shaping parameters during writing, facilitating the fabrication of more complicated structures than is possible using nonadaptive methods. Waveguides are demonstrated in fused silica with a coupling loss to single-mode fibers in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 dB and propagation loss <0.4 dB/cm.     

Simple Nd:YAG laser generates vector and vortex beam

We report a simple Nd:YAG laser that emits radially polarized beam with helical wavefront. The laser cavity consists of a piece of laser crystal and a plane output coupler, and there is no additional polarization component inside it. The pump light is converted into annular profile through de-focal coupling into a multi-mode fiber. For the continuous-wave(CW) operation, the laser emits radially polarized vortex beam, and it is observed that the helical wavefront of the laser beam is switched from right handedness to left handedness when the output coupler is tilted slightly. For the Q-switched operation under the insertion of a Cr4t:YAG saturable absorber inside the cavity, we obtain radially polarized outputs with left-handedness helical wavefront. By tilting the laser crystal slightly, the laser output switches to azimuthal polarization at pump power larger than 4.5 W and left-handedness helical wavefront of laser beam is preserved.     

Improvement in solar-pumped Nd:YAG laser beam brightness

Solar-pumped solid-state lasers are promising for renewable extreme-temperature material processing. Here we report a large improvement in solar laser beam brightness by pumping a thin Nd:YAG single crystal rod. A fused silica light guide of 14 mm×22 mm rectangular cross-section is used to both transmit and homogenize the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of a 2.88 m² parabolic mirror to the entrance aperture of a modified 2D-CPC flooded pump cavity, within which a 4 mm diameter rod is efficiently pumped. 2.2% slope efficiency is reached. Laser beam brightness figure of merit B is three times higher than that of the most recent solar-pumped Nd:YAG laser by a Fresnel lens. The introduction of the rectangular cross-section light guide has also ensured a much more stable laser emission than previous pumping schemes.     

Cutting of nonmetallic materials using Nd:YAG laser beam

This study deals with Nd:YAG laser cutting nonmetallic materials, which is one of the most important and popular industrial applications of laser. The main theme is to evaluate the effects of Nd:YAG laser beam power besides work piece scanning speed. For approximate cutting depth, a theoretical study is conducted in terms of material property and cutting speed. Results show a nonlinear relation between the cutting depth and input energy. There is no significant effect of speed on cutting depth with the speed being larger than 30 mm/s. An extra energy is utilized in the deep cutting. It is inferred that as the laser power increases, cutting depth increases. The experimental outcomes are in good agreement with theoretical results. This analysis will provide a guideline for laser-based industry to select a suitable laser for cutting, scribing, trimming, engraving, and marking nonmetallic materials.     

Gas protection optimization during Nd:YAG laser welding

Many laser processes, such as welding or surface treatments are associated with an undesired phenomenon, which is oxidation. The solution commonly employed to solve this problem approaches the shielding gas and/or the shielding gas device. What we propose in this paper is a methodology with the goal to optimize the protection gas device design as well as the gas flow in the case of laser welding and surface treatments. The pressure created by the gas flow on the sample surface is recorded and analysed together with the operating parameters influence in order to reach the objectives. The nozzle system designed and presented below assures the protection against material oxidation using minimal gas flow rates and increases the welding penetration in the case of high-power Nd:YAG laser welding.     

高功率高光束质量脉冲Nd: YAG激光器

 以实现高功率、高光束质量的脉冲激光输出为目的,对非对称平-凹谐振腔的结构进行了理论分析。设计出了高功率、高光束质量非对称放置的平-凹谐振腔、双氙灯泵浦的脉冲Nd: YAG激光器。当占空比为9%时,实现输出激光平均功率近480 W,光束参数积优于12.7 mm·mrad,电光转化效率近4%,与理论分析吻合,可用芯径300 μm的光纤传输,不稳定性优于±1%。加工实验证明有较好的质量：切割材料为不锈钢,厚度为3 mm时、切割速度为0.6 m/min和厚度为1.5 mm、切割速度为1.2 m/min时,两种情况下所得切缝宽度均为250 μm,且切割上下沿光滑。     

高功率高光束质量脉冲Nd: YAG激光器

以实现高功率、高光束质量的脉冲激光输出为目的,对非对称平-凹谐振腔的结构进行了理论分析。设计出了高功率、高光束质量非对称放置的平-凹谐振腔、双氙灯泵浦的脉冲Nd: YAG激光器。当占空比为9%时,实现输出激光平均功率近480 W,光束参数积优于12.7 mm·mrad,电光转化效率近4%,与理论分析吻合,可用芯径300 μm的光纤传输,不稳定性优于±1%。加工实验证明有较好的质量：切割材料为不锈钢,厚度为3 mm时、切割速度为0.6 m/min和厚度为1.5 mm、切割速度为1.2 m/min时,两种情况下所得切缝宽度均为250 μm,且切割上下沿光滑。     

Swift heavy-ion irradiated active waveguides in Nd:YAG crystals: fabrication and laser generation

An Nd:YAG planar waveguide laser has been fabricated by ultra-low-fluence (2×10(12) cm(-2)) swift heavy-ion irradiation (60 MeV Ar(4+) ions). The appearance of the buried waveguiding has been associated with an increased refractive index layer as a consequence of the ion-induced electronic damage. Continuous-wave laser oscillations at 1064.2 nm have been observed from the waveguide under 808 nm optical excitation, with the absorbed pump power at threshold and laser slope efficiency close to 26 mW and 5.9%, respectively.     

Quality of the beam produced a pulsed Nd:YAG laser

The quality of the beam produced by a Nd:YAG laser was investigated. A hemispherical Nd:YAG laser resonator was developed. A flashlamp driver was designed to pump a Nd:YAG laser crystal. The output of the laser was characterized via the variation of the capacitor voltage. A phosphor card was used to detect the invisible of the infrared beam. Exposed photographic paper was utilized to examine the energetic beam after interaction. The brightness and strength of the beams were analyzed using the Matrox Inspector and VideoTest 5 software packages. The intensity of the beam produced and the volume loss after interaction were found to linearly increase with respect to the input energy.     

High-energy nanosecond radially polarized beam output from Nd:YAG amplifiers

Optical Review - Radially polarized laser beam amplification up to the 772&nbsp;mJ using flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG amplifiers was demonstrated. In the experiments, a nanosecond radially...     

Nd:YAG激光器光栅式扫描预处理的计算模拟与优化分析

 采用计算模拟的方法,研究了光栅式扫描预处理的扫描方式以及脉冲能量波动、定位误差对预处理效率的影响。研究发现,脉冲能量波动及其定位误差使预处理效率降低,同时其影响与扫描方式之间存在相互调制作用,因此可以通过选择合适的扫描方式以及扫描间隔来优化预处理流程,提高预处理效率。此外发现,光斑呈等边三角形排列时的预处理效率优于正方形。     

Thermal mode-switching of a passively Q-switched microchip Nd:YAG laser

In the present article, the thermal distribution inside the gain medium of a passively Q-switched microchip laser is modeled and simulated for actual practical values associated with an available microchip laser constructed in our laboratory. The effects of the non-uniform heat distribution on the spectral properties of the output laser beam have been investigated and simulated with the variation of diode-pump power and pulse repetition rate. It is observed that the gain bandwidth as well as Optical Path Difference (OPD) values of the propagating pulses are significantly decreased, while the Nd:YAG chip is cooled down to a certain value. The validity of the utilized model is checked by setting and characterizing the spectral properties of a fabricated laboratory microchip laser under different heating conditions. It is verified that when the temperature of the gain material is changed by an electronically controlled Peltier device, the spectrum of the output laser beam can be switched between single- and dual-mode situations. This physical character has shown good agreement between the presented model and obtained experimental results.     

Q开关Nd:YAG脉冲激光对红外滤光片的损伤效应

 介绍了由滤光片膜层结构决定的激光在光学薄膜中形成温度场及驻波场特性。用1.06μm调Q Nd:YAG激光器，在激光脉冲宽度10ns和光斑直径0.61μm的条件下，进行了激光辐照红外滤光片的损伤特性实验研究。根据脉冲激光辐照红外滤光片后样品损伤分析，发现滤光片的最初损伤发生在里面的膜层中，从而在实验上验证了计算得到的滤光片膜层中存在其温度场及驻波场的结果。它对提高红外滤光片的抗激光辐照能力研究具有一定的参考价值。     

Visible and near-infrared optical properties of Nd:CLNGG crystal waveguides formed by proton implantation

A Nd:CLNGG waveguide structure operated at wavelengths of both 632.8 nm and 1539 nm was demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge, which was produced by the 480-keV H~+ion implantation with a dose of 1.0×10~(17)protons/cm~2.Its propagating modes at 632.8 nm and 1539 nm were measured by the well-known prism coupling technique. The refractive index profile at either 632.8-nm wavelength or 1539-nm wavelength was optical barrier type in the proton-implanted Nd:CLNGG crystal optical waveguide, which was calculated by using the reflectivity calculation method. The near-field light intensity distributions were also simulated by the finite-difference beam propagation method in the visible and nearinfrared bands.     

A Nd: YAG laser with a flat-top beam profile and constant divergence

An active resonator designed especially for Nd: YAG lasers is proposed. The expected performance of this resonator is the generation of a laser beam with a flat-topped distribution and a divergence invariant under the thermal lensing effect, such that it could be applied to surface treatment without special optical or mechanical elements. The beam quality and efficiency of such a resonator are presented and discussed in comparison with a parallel-plane resonator as adopted by most industrial Nd: YAG lasers.     

Photoacoustic detection of heat generation in proton-implanted Nd:YAG waveguides with and without laser operation

In this work the heat generation in proton-implanted planar Nd:YAG waveguides with and without laser action is determined by using photoacoustic techniques. From the analysis of the photoacoustic signal in the two emission regimes (stimulated and spontaneous) as a function of the absorbed power, it was found that the heat generated is substantially reduced during laser action. The quotient of the heat generated in both emission channels (stimulated and spontaneous) was found to be S_stimulated/S_spontaneous=0.65±0.03. This value is in agreement with the theoretical estimation considering a Nd³⁺ quantum efficiency _waveguide=0.78, extracted from the lifetime measured in the waveguide, slightly lower than the value in the bulk. This work demonstrates that photoacoustic measurements provide a sensitive method to characterize the performance of waveguide lasers. PACS 42.79.Gn; 42.82.Et; 42.60.Lh; 43.60.+d     

Thermal effects in high-power Nd:YAG disk-type solid state laser

An investigation of thermal effects in a high-power Nd:YAG disk-type solid state laser pumped with different pump beam transverse profiles is carried out by numerical simulation based on the finite element method (FEM). Impact of the heat sink on the thermal effects is included in the simulation. The distribution of first principle stress, thermally induced birefringence, including the distribution and variation of the birefringence loss, are studied. The characteristics of the phase variation are analyzed with consideration of the temperature gradient, deformation, strain and thermal stress. Thermal lensing is explored as a function of pump power and of the radius pumped with different pump beam transverse profiles. The non-parabolic part of optical phase distortion is simulated. Furthermore, the characteristics of the bi-focus of the disk laser are also studied. Experiments on the maximum tensile stress distribution and depolarization loss are carried out. The presented calculations are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations.     

Reduction of beam divergence of a thermal lensing insensitive Nd:YAG laser

In a previous paper we proposed an active resonator designed especially for Nd:YAG lasers. The beam generated by this resonator had a flat-top beam profile and a divergence that was insensitive to the thermal lensing effect. The beam generated by this resonator was, however, too divergent to be focused into a fibre. With the help of numerical simulations, we have found a way to reduce this divergence, and to render the far-field of the laser beam fine enough to be coupled into a fibre with 600 μm core and NA = 0.2.