High-power picosecond LiB3O5 optical parametric oscillators tunable in the blue spectral range

The paper reports on an experimental investigation and numerical analysis of noncritically and critically phasematched LiB₃O₅ (LBO) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) synchronously pumped by the third harmonic of a cw diode-pumped mode-locked Nd:YVO₄ oscillator–amplifier system. The laser system generates 9.0 W of 355-nm mode-locked radiation with a pulse duration of 7.5 ps and a repetition rate of 84 MHz. The LBO OPO, synchronously pumped by the 355-nm pulses, generates a signal wave tunable in the blue spectral range 457–479 nm. With a power of up to 5.0 W at 462 nm and 1.7 W at 1535 nm the conversion efficiency is 74%. The OPO is characterized experimentally by measuring the output power (and its dependence on the pump power, the transmission of the output coupler and the resonator length) and the pulse properties (such as pulse duration and spectral width). Also the beam quality of the resonant and nonresonant waves is investigated. The measured results are compared with the predictions of a numerical analysis for Gaussian laser and OPO beams. In addition to the blue-signal output visible-red 629-nm radiation is generated by sum-frequency mixing of the 1.535-μm infrared idler wave with the residual 1.064-μm laser radiation. A power of 1.25 W of 1.535-μm idler radiation and 5.7 W of 1.064-μm laser light generated a red 629-nm output power of 2.25 W. Received: 2 February 2000 / Revised version: 28 July 2000 / Published online: 22 November 2000     

All-solid-state picosecond tunable source of near-infrared radiation

A quasi-cw diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, mode locked by a nonlinear mirror and stabilized by an acousto-optic modulator, has been developed that generates 31-ps, 23-microJ pulses. Employing this source with a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal in a traveling-wave geometry, we obtained extracavity frequency conversion with pump depletion of as much as 62% in the near infrared (1.46- 1.56 microm) with a pulse spectral width of 1.5nm and a beam quality M(2)=1.7.     

High-power picosecond mid-infrared optical parametric amplifier for infrared Raman spectroscopy

A high-power (50-MW), kilohertz, picosecond, mid-IR optical parametric amplifier that is pumped by an amplified Ti:sapphire laser and also produces a fixed-frequency visible pulse is described. Mid-IR pulse energies of 40-55 microJ with 0.6-0.8-ps durations and 35-cm (-1) bandwidths are reported in the 3650- 2800-cm (-1) range. The combination of picosecond mid-IR and visible pulses is useful for two-color spectroscopies, which require simultaneous time and frequency resolution. To illustrate the above, we present vibrational relaxation data for the polyatomic molecule nitromethane, using time-resolved infrared Raman spectroscopy.     

High-power picosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

A high-power picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on a 47-mm periodically poled lithium niobate crystal is described. More than 12 W of total average power-almost 8 W of signal power at 1.85 microm and more than 4 W of idler radiation at 2.5 microm -is simultaneously extracted from less than 18 W of average pump power. The OPO is synchronously pumped by 80-ps (FWHM) cw mode-locked pulses at 1.064 microm , and its output is tunable from 1.7 to 2.84microm . Nearly transform-limited signal pulses are obtained following the introduction of two intracavity etalons.     

High-power mid-infrared tunable optical parametric oscillator based on 3-mm-thick PPMgCLN

The experimental results of a high-power tunable mid-IR laser are presented. The optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with a 3-mm-thick PPMgCLN crystal was pumped by a 1.064 μm pulse laser. When the pump power of the 1.064 μm laser was 151 W at 10 kHz, and the operating temperature of the PPMgCLN with 5% MgO doping was 100°C, average output power of 23.7 W at 3.91 μm was obtained with a slope efficiency of 18.2% for the idler resonant OPO. The variation of the 3.91 μm output power was about ±4% in 10 min continuous operation. The beam quality factor M ² was less than 2.6. The average output power of 27.4 W at 3.91 μm was also obtained with 151 W pump power and the slope efficiency of 20.9% for the signal resonant OPO by changing the coating parameters of the OPO cavity mirrors. The mid-IR wavelength tunability of 3.7–4.0 μm can be achieved by adjusting the temperature of a 29 μm period PPMgCLN crystal from 200 to 30°C.     

High-power efficient tunable Nd:GdVO4 laser at 1083 nm

An efficient tunable diode-pumped Nd:GdVO4 laser at 1083 nm has been constructed by suppressing the higher gain transition near 1063 nm. With 12.5 W diode pump power, the free-running output power centered about 1083 nm was up to 3.4 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 30.1%. When a simple uncoated etalon was used as a wavelength-selective element, the output power at each helium transition was higher than 2.5 W.     

High-conversion-efficiency and tunable phase-stabilized infrared parametric laser source

High-conversion-efficiency and tunable self-phase-stabilized infrared laser pulses have been generated from a two-stage optical parametric amplifier. With a 1 kHz repetition rate 800 nm pump source, the output idler pulses are tunable from 1.2 to 2.4 μm, and the maximum output average power of the idler pulses is >2 W with the total 7.4 W pump power, and the maximum parametric conversion efficiency in the final optical parametric amplifier is near 60%. Due to the differential frequency process, the output idler pulses is self-phase-stabilized, the phase fluctuation can reach 0.374 rad (rms).     

Over 300 nm tunable broadband one-crystal noncollinear optical parametric amplification

An over 300 nm tunable broadband noncollinear optical parametric amplification in visible scale as well as the generation of blue pump pulses in one BBO crystal are demonstrated. Micro-joule energies are achieved in the signal branch, and the signal central wavelength can be tuned from 475 to 800 nm. The near-transform-limited sub-50 fs pulse duration is attainable over the whole tuning range after compression by a pair of prisms.     

高触发信号和功率合成的高峰值功率皮秒脉冲源

对于目标的攻击、干扰和探测,超宽带时域脉冲源的幅值直接影响其攻击、干扰和探测的强度和效果。基于雪崩晶体管的Marx电路被广泛应用在产生此类信号源上,传统的Marx电路可以一定程度上提高输出电压的幅值,但由于雪崩晶体管功率容量较低等原因,雪崩晶体管的Marx电路输出电压幅度会随级数增加而达到饱和。针对此类问题,为了产生更高幅值的脉冲信号,综合采用提高触发信号和使用宽带功率合成器的手段。最终利用26级Marx电路作为触发信号,4路40级Marx电路进行功率合成的方法,实现了输出电压幅值为8.7 kV、上升沿约为180 ps的技术指标,并通过机理分析了高触发信号对雪崩晶体管Marx电路的影响,通过实验得到了印证。     

Generation of tunable picosecond pulses in the ultraviolet region down to 197 nm

Tunable picosecond pulses in the ultraviolet region down to 197 nm with ? 20 kW peak power are generated by the sum frequency mixing of fourth or third harmonic pulses of a mode-locked YAG laser with tunable pulses produced by a LiNbO₃ parametric oscillator pumped by second harmonic pulses of the YAG laser by using a KB5 or KDP crystal.     

Intense tunable picosecond pulses generated by parametric amplification in β-BaB2O4

Amplified spontaneous emission of a dye cell is parametrically amplified in barium betaborate (BBO) crystals. Pumping the system by the third harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser a tuning range from 3500 to 25080 cm^–1 is accessible with energy conversion efficiencies of several percent. Properties of ultrashort light pulses in the visible and UV spectral range are presented. A spectral width of 10 cm^–1 and a pulse duration of approximately 20 ps are measured.     

20-50-fs pulses tunable across the near infrared from a blue-pumped noncollinear parametric amplifier

A two-stage blue-pumped noncollinearly phase matched optical parametric amplifier was used to generate near-infrared pulses that were continuously tunable from 865 to 1600 nm. The pulse lengths scaled from 20 fs at the shorter wavelengths to below 50 fs at 1600 nm, with a nearly Fourier-transform-limited bandwidth. From 200 muJ of 775-nm pump light at a 1-kHz repetition rate and a 130-fs duration, 7-2.5-muJ pulse energies were generated, corresponding to a typical quantum efficiency of 25% from blue to near-infrared light.     

Compact, high-pulse-energy, picosecond optical parametric oscillator

We report a high-energy optical parametric oscillator (OPO) synchronously pumped by a 7.19 MHz, Yb:fiber-amplified, picosecond, gain-switched laser diode. The 42-m-long ring cavity maintains a compact design through the use of an intracavity optical fiber. The periodically poled MgO-doped LiNbO(3) OPO provides output pulse energies as high as 0.49 μJ at 1.5 μm (signal) and 0.19 μJ at 3.6 μm (idler). Tunability from 1.5 to 1.7 μm and from 2.9 to 3.6 μm is demonstrated, and typical M(2) values of 1.5 × 1.3 and 2.8 × 1.9 are measured for the signal and idler, respectively, at high power.     

A picosecond near-infrared laser source based on a self-seeded optical parametric generator

We report on the design and development of a new type of near-IR laser source. The source comprises of an optical parametric generator (OPG) and a second harmonic generator (SHG) pumped by an 80-MHz, 1064-nm, 7-ps Nd:YVO₄ laser. The OPG is self-seeded with a fraction of its own signal output, which significantly enhances its conversion efficiency. The SHG doubles the frequency of OPG signal to produce a coherent output. The final output beam has a tunable wavelength near 800 nm, an average power of over 1 W, and a pulse duration around 5 ps. The M²-factor of the output beam can reach 1.1 after spatial filtering. With the new laser source, we have successfully demonstrated coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy on 1 μm polystyrene beads, which shows that it has the potential to be a substitute for a picosecond optical parametric oscillator in certain microscopy or spectroscopy applications.     

16μm tunable source using parametric processes in non-linear crystals

A reliable continuously tunable source of 16μm radiation with ～$\text{1}\text{2}$ kW peak power and repetition rates up to 20 pps is described. This consists of an Nd : YAG driven lithium niobate return pump parametric oscillator, with non-linear mixing of the signal and idler wavelengths in cadmium selenide. Pulse energies of 5 μJ and linewidths of 2.6 cm^-1 at 16 μm have been observed with the grating tuned OPO. Potential improvements in output energy and bandwidth (spectrum narrowing) are discussed.     

High-power tunable Er,Yb ribbon fiber laser

A high-power Er,Yb double-clad ribbon fiber laser pumped by a 9-diode-bar pump module is reported. The laser yielded 102 W of continuous-wave output at 1566 nm for a launched pump power of 244 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of ~ 44% with respect to launched pump power. Tunable operation was achieved using a simple external feedback cavity with a diffraction grating and the operating wavelength could be tuned from 1533 nm to 1567 nm. Temperature distribution in the ribbon fiber geometry and prospects of power scaling will be discussed.     

Efficient, high-power, ytterbium-fiber-laser-pumped picosecond optical parametric oscillator

We report a high-power picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) synchronously pumped by a Yb fiber laser at 1.064 μm, providing 11.7 W of total average power in the near to mid-IR at 73% extraction efficiency. The OPO, based on a 50 mm MgO:PPLN crystal, is pumped by 20.8 ps pulses at 81.1 MHz and can simultaneously deliver 7.1 W of signal at 1.56 μm and 4.6 W of idler at 3.33 μm for 16 W of pump power. The oscillator has a threshold of 740 mW, with maximum signal power of 7.4 W at 1.47 μm and idler power of 4.9 W at 3.08 μm at slope efficiencies of 51% and 31%, respectively. Wavelength coverage across 1.43-1.63 μm (signal) and 4.16-3.06 μm (idler) is obtained, with a total power of ~11 W and an extraction efficiency of ~68%, with pump depletion of ~78% maintained over most of the tuning range. The signal and idler output have a single-mode spatial profile and a peak-to-peak power stability of ±1.8% and ±2.9% over 1 h at the highest power, respectively. A signal pulse duration of 17.3 ps with a clean single-peak spectrum results in a time-bandwidth product of ~1.72, more than four times below the input pump pulses.     

High-power tunable single-frequency single-mode erbium:ytterbium codoped large-core fiber master-oscillator power amplifier source

We present a cladding-pumped single-frequency, single-mode erbium:ytterbium codoped fiber master-oscillator power amplifier source generating up to 151 W of continuous-wave output power at 1563 nm with 33% slope efficiency and 20 dB gain. This source was also tunable and had a stable operation range of 1546 to 1566 nm at an output power level in excess of 125 W. The doped fiber exploited a large-core design for improved power handling and mitigation of stimulated Brillouin scattering. There was no sign of having stimulated Brillouin scattering even at the highest power. Despite a large core (V = 12), the output beam was nearly diffraction limited (M2 = 1.1). The source showed slight rollover at over 100 W of output power because of the onset of emission from ytterbium, centered at 1060 nm.     

高功率、高效率808nm半导体激光器阵列

通过设计高效率808 nm非对称宽波导外延结构,减少P型波导层和包层的自由载流子光吸收,实现腔内光吸收损耗为0.63 cm~(-1).制备的808 nm半导体激光器阵列在室温25?C下,实现驱动电流135 A,工作电压1.76 V,连续输出功率大于150 W,斜率效率高达1.25 W/A,中心波长809.3 nm,器件最高电光转换效率为65.5%,这是目前国内报道的808 nm半导体激光器阵列的最高电光转换效率,达到国际同类器件最好水平.     

500 nm continuous wave tunable single-frequency mid-IR light source for C-H spectroscopy

A computer controlled tunable mid-IR light source, based on single resonant difference frequency generation (DFG), is experimentally investigated. The DFG process is pumped by an external cavity tapered diode laser, tunable over a spectral range of 30 nm. Grating feedback to the single mode channel of the tapered diode narrows the spectrum and allows for tuning of the emitted spectrum in the range from 780 to 810 nm. The DFG process takes place intra-cavity in a high finesse diode pumped 1064 nm solid state Nd:YVO₄ laser cavity, using periodically poled LiNbO₃ as the nonlinear material. Based on this new approach, a tunable single-frequency output power exceeding 3 mW was obtained in the mid-IR tuning range from 2.9 to 3.4 ??m.