Generation of 520 mW pulsed blue light by frequency doubling of an all-fiberized 978 nm Yb-doped fiber laser source

Pulsed blue light at 489 nm has been generated by second-harmonic-generation of a nanosecond pulsed master-oscillator power amplifier system based on a short Yb(3+) doped single-mode fiber amplifier at 978 nm and an external-cavity diode laser as seed source. The Yb(3+)-doped fiber was core-pumped by a W type Nd(3+) doped double-clad fiber laser operating on the transition near 930 nm ((4)F(3/2)→(4)I(9/2)). 520 mW of average power was generated at 489 nm using a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO(3), corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 34%.     

Spectroscopic properties of neodymium-doped tellurite glass fiber

Nd3+-doped tellurite glass and a single mode tellurite glass fiber with a core diameter of 8 μm were prepared in this work. The 1.33-μm emission from the 4F3/2→4I13/2 transition of Nd3+ with a spectral bandwidth of 55 nm in tellurite glass fiber is observed.The lifetime of 164μs of 4F3/2 level and quantum efficiency of about 100 ％ are obtained.     

Efficient, multiwatt, continuous-wave laser operation on the (4)F((3/2))-(4)I((9/2)) transitions of Nd:YVO(4) and Nd:YAG

We report multiwatt, diode-pumped cw operation on the (4)F(3/2)-(4)I(9/2) laser transition at 914.5 nm in Nd:YVO(4), for which an output power of 3.0 W and a slope of efficiency of 22.8% were achieved. For the corresponding laser transition of Nd:YAG at 946 nm an output power of 5.35 W and a slope efficiency of 40.2% were measured. By intracavity frequency doubling, an output power of 1.5 W at 473 nm was generated.     

High-power continuous-wave upconversion fiber laser at room temperature

We report cw laser emission of a Pr, Yb-doped ZrF(4)-BaF(2)-LaF(3)-AlF(3)-NaF fiber in the red spectral region. Laser emission was achieved on the transition P(0)(3)?F(2)(3)(lambda(L)=635 nm) with a Ti:sapphire pump laser tuned to lambda(p)=850 nm . A maximum output power of P(out)=675 mW was obtained at an incident pump power of P(in)=3.37 W . The output power was increased to P(out)=1020 mW when pumping with P(in)=5.51 W was provided by two Ti:sapphire lasers. A photon avalanche process was found to contribute strongly to the population of the upper laser level.     

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser at 914 nm

We demonstrate, for the first time, to our knowledge, a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser, operating on the 4F(3/2)-4I(9/2) transition of the neodymium ion at 914 nm. We obtained 8.8 ps pulses at approximately 914 nm at a repetition rate of 94 MHz, and an averaged output power of 87 mW by using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror.     

激光二极管端面抽运Nd:YVO4实现1386 nm连续波激光输出

在Nd:YVO4晶体的4F3/2-4I13/2跃迁带内,除了1342 nm激光辐射之外,其它的跃迁谱线由于小的受激发射截面和强的寄生振荡,很难形成激光振荡.通过调整谐振腔损耗,获得了光纤耦合激光二极管端面抽运1386 nmNd:YVO4激光器激光连续输出.在抽运功率达到4.24 W时,得到了305 mW的1386 nm激光连续输出,最高输出功率下的斜效率为13.9%.实验中还观察到了1342 nm和1386 nm的双波长运转.根据抽运阈值能量和实验数据,计算得到了Nd:YVO4晶体中1386 nm激光辐射处的受激发射截面大约为(3±1)×10-19cm2.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser emitting at 899 nm and below

We present what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser emitting at 899 nm and below, based on the (4)F(3/2) - (4)I(9/2) transition, generally used for a 946 nm emission. A power of 630 mW at 899 nm has been achieved in cw operation and 16 mW at 884 nm with a fiber-coupled laser diode emitting 9 W at 808 nm. Intracavity second-harmonic generation in cw mode has also been demonstrated with a power of 100 mW at 450 nm by using a LiB(3)O(5) nonlinear crystal.     

LD抽运腔内和频571.6 nm连续波黄光激光器

报道了全固态连续波571.6 nm黄光激光器.黄激光是分别由两片Nd∶YAG的1 444 nm和946 nm谱线非线性和频产生,两条谱线在各自晶体对应能级跃迁分别为4F3/2-4I15/2和4F3/2-4I9/2.实验中采用复合腔结构,利用RTP晶体II类临界相位进行内腔和频,当注入到两片Nd∶YAG晶体的抽运功率分别为25 W和14.8 W时,获得562 mW的连续波571.6 nm黄激光输出,4 h功率稳定度优于±2.9％.     

Ytterbium-sensitized thulium-doped fiber laser with a single-mode output operating at 1900-nm region

A single-mode laser is demonstrated using a newly developed double-clad thulium-ytterbium-doped fiber (TYDF) in a linear cavity formed by two fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The YTF used is drawn from a D-shape preform fabricated using the modified chemical vapor deposition and solution doping technique. The laser is operated at 1 901.6 nm via the transition of thulium ions from 3F4 to 3H6 with the assistance of ytterbium to thulium ion energy transfer. The efficiencies of the laser are 0.71% and 0.75% at 927- and 905-nm multimode pumping, respectively. The thresholds of the launched pump power for 927- and 905-nm pumping are 1 314 and 1 458 mW, respectively. A 7-mW output is obtained at a 905-nm pump power of 2 400 mW.     

Diode-pumped cw Nd:YAG three-level laser at 869 nm

We report for the first time (to our knowledge) a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser emitting at 869 nm based on the (4)F(3/2)-(4)I(9/2) transition, generally used for a 946 nm emission. Power of 453 mW at 869 nm has been achieved in cw operation with a fiber-coupled laser diode emitting 35.4 W at 809 nm. Intracavity second-harmonic generation in the cw mode has also been demonstrated with power of 118 mW at 435 nm by using a BiB(3)O(6) nonlinear crystal. In our experiment, we used a LiNbO(3) crystal lens to complement the thermal lens of the laser rod, and we obtained good beam quality and high output power stability.     

Passively mode-locked 914-nm Nd:YVO4 laser

We demonstrate what is to our knowledge the first mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser operating on the 4F3/2-4I9/2 transition at 914 nm. Using a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror for passive mode locking, we have obtained 3-ps pulses at a repetition rate of 233.8 MHz. The laser is based on a standard delta cavity and is pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser. We obtained an average output power of 42 mW through one mirror and an accumulated output power of approximately 150 mW (through all cavity mirrors) at a pump power of 1.4 W.     

High-performance iodine fiber frequency standard

We have constructed a compact and robust optical frequency standard based around iodine vapor loaded into the core of a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). A 532 nm laser was frequency locked to one hyperfine component of the R(56) 32-0 (127)I(2) transition using modulation transfer spectroscopy. The stabilized laser demonstrated a frequency stability of 2.3×10(-12) at 1 s, almost an order of magnitude better than previously reported for a laser stabilized to a gas-filled HC-PCF. This limit is set by the shot noise in the detection system. We present a discussion of the current limitations to the performance and a route to improve the performance by more than an order of magnitude.     

Stable gain-switched 845 nm pulse generation by a weak 1550 nm seed laser

We report what we believe to be the first demonstration of stable gain-switched 845 nm pulse generation (Er(3+): (4)S(3/2)->(4)I(13/2) transition) by a weak modulated 1550 nm seed laser, from an Er(3+)-doped fluoride fiber pumped by a cw 974 nm laser diode. When the pump power of the 974 nm laser diode is set to a certain value, the injection of a weak (<1 mW) modulated 1550 nm seed laser into the 845 nm lasing cavity can depopulate the lower state (4)I(13/2) of 845 nm lasing, switch the gain to regulate the conventionally chaotic spiking, and generate stable synchronous 845 nm pulse trains with the repetition rate up to 100 kHz.     

Short-pulse generation from a resonantly pumped NdAl3(BO3)4 microchip laser

We report on continuous-wave and subnanosecond passively Q-switched laser oscillation from a NdAl3(BO3)4 microchip laser operating at 1.06 microm. Efficient and stable laser operation is possible only when resonant pumping (4I9/2-->4F3/2 at 882 nm) is used instead of the traditional 4I9/2-->4F5/2 (808 nm) pumping. The improvement in laser performance is caused by a strong reduction in the pump-induced thermal loading, which is achieved by pumping directly into the emitting level.     

Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) codoped tellurite fiber laser

Continuous-wave and Q-switched lasing from a Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) codoped tellurite fiber is reported. An Yb(3+)/Er(3+)-doped silica fiber laser operating at 1.6 microm was used as an in-band pump source, exciting the Tm(3+) ions into the (3)F(4) level. Energy is then nonradiatively transferred to the upper laser level, the (5)I(7) state of Ho(3+). The laser transition is from the (5)I(7) level to the (5)I(8) level, and the resulting emission is at 2.1 microm. For continuous wave operation, the slope efficiency was 62% and the threshold 0.1 W; the maximum output demonstrated was 0.16 W. Mechanical Q switching resulted in a pulse of 0.65 microJ energy and 160 ns duration at a repetition rate of 19.4 kHz.     

Self-sum- and -difference-frequency mixing in GdAl(3)(BO(3))(4):Nd(3+) for generation of tunable ultraviolet and infrared radiation

We exploited Nd(3+) laser emission at 1061.9 nm ((4)F(3/2)?(4)I(11/2) channel) in a self-chi((2)) active GdAl(3)(BO(3))(4):Nd(3+) laser crystal. UV radiation was obtained from a 1.8% yield from self-sum-frequency mixing: 1/pump + 1/1061.9 = 1/UV, during pumping in the Nd(3+) (4)G(5/2)-(2)G(7/2) levels near 588 nm. The UV tunability had a range of 378-382 nm. We have demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge, generation of coherent IR radiation from a self-difference-frequency mixing laser: 1/pump - 1/1061.9 = 1/IR. We got a 0.5% yield and tunability in the 1305-1365-nm range.     

Tunable continuous-wave laser at quasi-three-level with a disordered Nd:LGS crystal

A diode-pumped tunable CW Nd(3+):LGS laser at quasi-three-level has been demonstrated. The output power up to 403 mW at the central wavelength of 904 nm was obtained, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 29.7%. Taking advantage of the broad emission spectrum of the disordered crystal Nd:LGS, we tuned the laser wavelength within the spectral range of 899.8 to 906.6 nm with an etalon inserted into the V-type cavity. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to obtain a tunable laser based on the (4)F(3/2)-(4)I(9/2) transition of Nd(3+)-doped crystals.     

Nd~(3+)/Yb~(3+)掺杂YNbO_4粉末上转换发光特性

采用高温固相法,以50Nb_2O_5-40Y2O_3-2Nd2O_3-8Yb_2O_3的量比在1 300℃下制备Nd~(3+)/Yb~(3+)掺杂YNbO_4粉末样品。运用Judd-Ofelt理论研究样品光谱特性。由吸收谱中各吸收峰面积计算得到谱线强度参数Ωλ(λ=2,4,6),进而得出理论振子强度及实验振子强度,二者均方根偏差δ_(rms)=1.618×10-7。计算了Nd~(3+)能级4F3/2→4IJ'(J'=15/2,13/2,11/2,9/2)跃迁几率、跃迁分支比和能级寿命。4F3/2→4I11/2跃迁分支比最高(56.91%),对应波长1 062 nm。且亚稳态4F3/2能级寿命较长,为1.435 2 ms,适合作为上转换中间能级。在980 nm半导体激光器激发下,观测到波长为487,541,662 nm上转换发光,分别对应于Nd~(3+)的2G9/2→4I9/2、4G7/2→4I9/2和4G7/2→4I13/2辐射跃迁。通过样品上转换发射功率与激光器工作电流进行的曲线拟合,得到吸收光子数目依次为2.06,1.99,2.15,确定3个发射峰均对应于双光子吸收。     

784-nm amplified spontaneous emission from Tm3+-doped fluoride glass fiber pumped by an 1120-nm fiber laser

We report 784-nm (1G4 --> 3H5 transition) amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from Tm3+-doped fluoride (ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF) glass fiber pumped by an 1120-nm fiber laser. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of 784-nm (1G4 --> 3H5 transition) ASE in a Tm3+-doped fluoride fiber laser. Its effects on a 480-nm (1G4 --> 3H6 transition) blue laser were also discussed.     

Frequency-tunable 500-mW continuous-wave all-solid-state single-frequency source in the blue spectral region

A compact source of stable cw single-frequency radiation at 473 nm has been realized by second-harmonic generation of a diode-pumped miniature Nd:YAG ring laser operating on the (4)F(3/2) - (4)I(9/2) laser transition. By use of potassium niobate (KNbO(3)), single-longitudinal-mode output powers of 500 mW cw with high stability and maximum optical-to-optical conversion efficiencies >81% are achieved. An external semimonolithic cavity permits mode-hop-free frequency tuning of blue radiation over as much as 20 GHz.