Small Gaussian laser beam diameter measurement using a quadrant photodiode

A method that uses the quadrant photodiode has been shown to be relatively inexpensive and robust in measuring Gaussian laser beam diameters in two axes. This approach requires neither component rotation nor precision alignment, and it facilitates integration of Gaussian laser beam diameter measurement with laser beam tracking in instruments. The physical gap between sensors in the quadrant photodiode, however, limits laser beam diameter measurements to those in the millimeter range. Here, we describe a modified approach to measure Gaussian laser beam diameters that are significantly smaller.     

A neat semi-Gaussian laser beam with no diffraction fringes: Theoretical analysis

We propose a simple optical device to convert a Gaussian laser beam into a neat semi-Gaussian laser beam without any diffraction fringe by using a spatial light modulator and a thin, sharp blade, and numerically calculate the diffracted, relative intensity distributions of both the semi-Gaussian laser field and the semi-Gaussian, pseudo-thermal light. We also study the dependence of the border width of the semi-Gaussian beam on the waist of the Gaussian beam. Our study shows that the proposed scheme can be used to cancel all diffraction fringes from both the straight edge of the blade and a finite lens aperture in all the planes vertical to the z axis and obtain a neat semi-Gaussian beam without any diffraction fringe, and find that the border width w_B of the generated semi-Gaussian beam is not dependent on the waist of the incident Gaussian beam.     

Thermal lens determination of LD end-pumped solid-state laser with stable resonator by slit scanning method

A simple method to determine the thermal focal length of LD end-pumped solid-state laser with stable resonator is presented. The M² factor describing the quality of the beam can be obtained by scanning a slit through the multi-mode Gaussian beam field. The waist width of the beam and the corresponding TEM₀₀ under the same parameters of laser are then deduced through the law of multi-mode Gaussian beam propagation. Based on the standard matrix theory of stable resonator, the thermal focal length of the gain medium can be easily achieved. To show the application of this approach, the thermal focal length of an LD pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser is measured and the experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical prediction.     

An approach to achieve lateral superresolution for small probe confocal measurement system and its element

A shaped annular beam superresolution approach is proposed to improve a lateral resolution of a small probe laser confocal measurement system (LCMS). The approach proposed enables lateral superresolution measurement of LCMS to be achieved by using a binary optical diffractive element to shape a He–Ne Gaussian laser beam into an annular beam with an inner diameter of 0.87 mm and an outer diameter of 1.8 mm required for superresolution measurement, and shift the beam spatial frequency from low to high. And a binary optical element (BOE) with 16 phase levels is designed and fabricated to shape a Gaussian laser beam into an annular beam. Preliminary experimental results indicate that an intensity distribution of a shaped annular beam is in agreement with simulation results, the diffractive efficiency is 87.2%; LCMS lateral and axial resolutions of 0.2 μm and 3 nm are achieved, respectively, and its measurement range is expanded nearly to double, when BOE is used in LCMS and , NA=0.85.     

Numerical approach to laser beam propagation through turbulent atmosphere and evaluation of beam quality factor

In this paper, propagation of a Gaussian laser beam through turbulent atmosphere is evaluated numerically. The beam quality factor for the propagated beam has been estimated for different turbulent conditions that are characterized by parameter C_n. The calculations show that the beam quality can be affected dramatically by atmospheric turbulence and the laser beam size and wavelength have major role in the results. Furthermore, the propagation of laser beam in longer distance results in more spatial perturbation of the beam. The results of these calculations and evaluation of beam quality factor M² can be used for estimating the refractive index structure parameter (or atmosphere turbulent parameter) C_n.     

Measurement of a broad range of Gaussian laser beam diameters using various periodic and aperiodic rulings

A novel analytical approach is proposed for an accurate estimation of a broad range of Gaussian laser beam diameters. The new approach, based on the Fourier transform and the convolution operations, is used to study the performance of most recently proposed periodic and aperiodic rulings. Further, for applications that require extremely small beam diameter measurements, a new Ronchi-like ruling is proposed; while for applications requiring large beam diameters measurements, various aperiodic non-Ronchi rulings are proposed. Furthermore, for spot-size measurement applications, which range from very small to very large beam diameters, a new single aperiodic exponential ruling is proposed. This new ruling eliminates the necessity of using a large number of rulings for measuring a broad range of beam diameters.     

Effect of chromatic aberration on Gaussian beams: non-dispersive laser resonators

The propagation of a non-monochromatic (polychromatic) TEM₀₀ Gaussian beam in vacuum, its passage through a thin plate and its transformation by a thin lens are studied in the case of a non-dispersive laser resonator. The basic assumptions of the model are as follows: optical fields are stationary and plane-polarized, the paraxial wave equation is valid, an equivalent non-dispersive hemiconfocal resonator represents the lasing medium and its stable resonator, the laser emits in a single mode. It is also assumed that the plate and the lens have large transverse dimensions. Mathematical expressions, for beam radius, divergence, radius of curvature and beam parameter product, are obtained. A beam quality factor for polychromatic Gaussian beams is defined and its value calculated in each case of interest. It is proposed to simulate a dispersive laser resonator by a non-dispersive resonator complemented with a plate and/or a thin lens.     

像散椭球高斯光束的理论分析与实验模拟

从理论上讨论了具有简单像散特必的椭 图 束的处理方法,在实验中利用两个正交的柱透镜模拟球面双轴透镜对半导体激光器的输出光束进行变换,得较为理想的结果,即把椭圆高斯光束自理为近似圆高斯光束。     

Measurement of sensitivities for the thermal recording of laser beams

A simple technique for determining the energy sensitivities for the thermographic recording of laser beams is described. The principle behind this technique is that, if a laser beam with a known spatial distribution such as a Gaussian profile is used for imaging, the radius of the thermal image formed depends uniquely on the intensity of the impinging beam. Thus by measuring the radii of the images produced for different incident beam intensities the minimum intensity necessary (that is, the threshold) for thermographic imaging is found. The diameter of the laser beam can also be found from this measurement. A simple analysis based on the temperature distribution in the laser heated material shows that there is an inverse square root dependence on pulse duration or period of exposure for the energy fluence of the laser beam required, both for the threshold and the subsequent increase in the size of the recording. It has also been shown that except for low intensity, long duration exposure on very low conductivity materials, heat losses are not very significant.     

Near-diffraction-limited laser beam shaping with diamond-turned aspheric optics

We used a pair of diamond-turned CaF(2) aspheres to convert the pure TEM(00) Gaussian spatial profile output of a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser oscillator into a super-Gaussian intensity profile with a nearly flat phase front. The resulting super-Gaussian beam was nearly diffraction limited with an M(2) of 1.75; in the near field the 5-mm diameter beam retained a nominally flat-top intensity distribution without significant diffraction peaks for an excellent working distance of more than 50cm. A 10% improvement in amplifier-energy extraction obtained by use of the reshaped beam is demonstrated.     

Direct writing of micro/nano-scale patterns by means of particle lens arrays scanned by a focused diode pumped Nd:YVO4 laser

A practical approach to a well-known technique of laser micro/nano-patterning by optical near fields is presented. It is based on surface patterning by scanning a Gaussian laser beam through a self-assembled monolayer of silica micro-spheres on a single-crystalline silicon (Si) substrate. So far, the outcome of this kind of near-field patterning has been related to the simultaneous, parallel surface-structuring of large areas either by top hat or Gaussian laser intensity distributions. We attempt to explore the possibility of using the same technique in order to produce single, direct writing of features. This could be of advantage for applications in which only some areas need to be patterned (i.e. local area selective patterning) or single lines are required (e.g. a particular micro/nano-fluidic channel). A diode pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser system (wavelength of 532 nm, pulse duration of 8 ns, repetition rate of 30 kHz) with a computer-controlled 3 axis galvanometer beam scanner was employed to write user-defined patterns through the particle lens array on the Si substrate. After laser irradiation, the obtained patterns which are in the micro-scale were composed of sub-micro/micro-holes or bumps. The micro-pattern resolution depends on the dimension of both the micro-sphere’s diameter and the beam’s spot size. The developed technique could potentially be employed to fabricate photonic crystal structures mimicking nature’s butterfly wings and anti-reflective “moth eye” arrays for photovoltaic cells.     

Sinterability studies on K0.5Na0.5NbO3 using laser as energy source

The sinterability of K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ (KNN) ceramics by a laser beam has been investigated in the present research. A 100 W CO₂ laser with a beam diameter of 0.6 mm has been used to sinter the KNN specimens prepared on a uniaxial pressing machine. The relations between laser power and thickness of densified layer, crystallographic structures and phase compositions have been studied. A comparison has been made between laser and furnace sintered KNN samples according to the SEM, XRD and XRF results. The possibility of KNN used for the layer-wise laser direct sintering 3D components has been confirmed in this paper.     

Self‐focusing of a cosh‐Gaussian laser beam in magnetized plasma under relativistic‐ponderomotive regime

The combined effect of relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities on the self‐focusing of an intense cosh‐Gaussian laser beam (CGLB) in magnetized plasma have been investigated. Higher‐order paraxial‐ray approximation has been used to set up the self‐focusing equations, where higher‐order terms in the expansion of the dielectric function and the eikonal are taken into account. The effects of various lasers and plasma parameters viz. laser intensity (a₀), decentred parameter (b), and magnetic field (ω_c) on the self‐focusing of CGLB have been explored. The results are compared with the Gaussian profile of laser beams and relativistic nonlinearity. Self‐focusing can be enhanced by optimizing and selecting the appropriate laser‐plasma parameters. It is observed that the focusing of CGLB is fast in a nonparaxial region in comparison with that of a Gaussian laser beam and in a paraxial region in magnetized plasma. In addition, strong self‐focusing of CGLB is observed at higher values of a₀, b, and ω_c. Numerical results show that CGLB can produce ultrahigh laser irradiance over distances much greater than the Rayleigh length, which can be used for various applications.     

Divergence of far-infrared laser beam and collimation for Galilean and Keplerian system designs

Local confinement of the electromagnetic fields in a waveguide is a boundary condition problem which is often discussed as an example of wave propagation. A wave can also propagate in the air in a region without boundaries. In this case, the beam of electromagnetic waves is merely diverging as no condition of total internal reflection exists in a uniform medium such as air. We develop equations predicting the proper separation distance between a pair of lenses to collimate a far-infrared laser beam for both a Galilean and Keplerian telescopic systems. For a typical CO₂ laser Gaussian beam at λ=10.6 μm, it is found that the separation distance is much more than the simple sum of the focal lengths for both lenses used in a given telescopic system. This substantial increase in the separation distance between the pair of lenses is mostly due to the divergence of the emitting radiation of the CO₂ laser in the air, which is large compared to that of other commercially available laser sources. Some experimental results are given for both the Galilean and Keplerian telescopes and the discrepancies are compared from the calculations. A simple methodology is also described to test the collimation of the invisible CO₂ laser beam after it is transmitted through the pair of collimated ZnSe lenses. Good estimations for the separation distance between a pair of collimation lenses and beam magnifications are very useful when focusing a beam of CO₂ laser to a very small spot in various designs, where high-power density is required. Computations for the separation distance and magnification are found to be very close to the experimental values reported with a discrepancy of less than 4%.     

Design and evaluation of a Blu-ray pickup head system for determining the tilt angle and displacement of the test plane

We present an optical system design for determining the tilt angle and displacement of the test plane. The proposed optical system consists of a Blu-ray pickup head and a pigtailed laser diode with a uniform Gaussian beam. The optical system is evaluated by two optical design software packages, Code V and LightTools. A quadrant detector is used to detect the relative relationship of the V_A, V_B, V_C and V_D output signals, which can be used to measure the tilt angle and displacement on the test plane. Both the tilt angle and displacement on the test plane can be determined from the change in the beam shape on the quadrant detector. The proposed system can generate a circular uniform beam shape to reduce the misjudgment and to enhance the measurement accuracy. Various simulation cases are presented in detail to show the feasibility of the proposed system.     

Amplitude and phase clipping: Strehl ratio versus divergence

We consider the transverse characteristics of a Gaussian laser beam subject to a phase or amplitude clipping due to a pupil which is a π-plate or an opaque disc (stop). In particular, we consider the correlation between two features, the Strehl ratio and divergence angle, usually used for characterising the focusability of a diffracted beam. It is demonstrated that the Strehl ratio does not give systematically a global view, from a divergence point of view, on the transverse properties of a Gaussian beam suffering amplitude or phase diffraction. In addition, we consider the case of self-diffraction of a Gaussian beam upon a Gaussian phase aberration of same width, and it is found that the on-axis intensity describes correctly the whole diffracted beam cross-section, from a divergence point of view, only if the central phase shift is smaller than π. Another example showing that the focusability of a pure high-order Laguerre–Gauss TEM_p0 beam, free from any clipping, cannot be correctly described by Strehl ratio is also considered.     

Study of Scintillation for Infrared Laser Beam Propagating in Atmospheric Turbulence on Earth-Space Paths

On earth-space paths, by applying a modification of the Rytov method that incorporates spatial frequency filter function under strong atmosphere fluctuation conditions, a tractable model is developed for the scintillation index of infrared laser Gaussian beam wave that is valid under moderate-to-strong irradiance fluctuations. At Infrared band, based on ITU-R C ² _n model, the scintillation indexes for collimation laser beam are predicted by this analytic model. The results agree with theoretic expected scintillation. This scintillation model can be converted into a plane or a sphere wave scintillation index model on earth-space paths, and also reduced to a Gaussian beam wave model on horizontal sight paths of invariable C ² _n.     

Surface evolution and laser damage resistance of CO2 laser irradiated area of fused silica

A 10.6 μm CO₂ laser has been reported to effectively mitigate the laser damage growth of fused silica. Two zones of the laser irradiated area are defined in this work: the distorted zone and the laser affected zone. The parameters of the two zones are studied at different CO₂ laser beam sizes, irradiation times, and powers by microscopy, profilometry, and photoelastic method. The results show that the diameter of laser affected zone is almost completely determined by the laser beam size and the distorted zone is associated with the mitigation range of CO₂ laser beam. The diameter and depth of the distorted zone increase as the laser power and irradiation time increase. The depth grows exponentially depending on the irradiation time. The maximum residual stress discrepancy is located near the boundary of the laser affected zone. The laser damage resistance test results show that the distorted zone and the laser affected zone have a better damage resistance than the original substrate.     

Generation and detection of optical vortices using all fiber-optic system

We demonstrate simultaneous generation, propagation and detection of optical vortices using all fiber-optic system. A fiber-optic Y-coupler was used for generating spherical and doughnut beams, simultaneously. Gaussian (TEM₀₀) beam emitted from CW red He-Ne laser is coupled into the fiber coupler and is converted into vortex beam via second arm of fiber which propagates with azimuthal phase dependence having well defined orbital angular momentum. The phase structure of vortex beam was detected by interfering both the beams using simple fiber-optic interferometer. The present all fiber-optic system might find application for detecting, sensing physical parameters and is simple and cost effective for generating and detecting optical vortices.     

基于连续激光的纳米结构研制

基于激光受激辐射损耗原理的远场光学超分辨成像技术,当圆形入射高斯激光经过涡旋相位板调制后,将转变为中心光强为零的圆环形光束,该形状的激光束与光敏聚合物作用,能够制备出具有一定功能的纳米结构。介绍了自主搭建的基于圆环连续激光光源的激光直写系统,以及利用该系统研制的复合纳米结构。当光源为532 nm连续激光输出时,与正性光刻胶作用,得到直径 < 50 nm的纳米柱复合结构,以及整齐均匀的纳米柱阵列结构;与负性光刻胶作用,得到直径 < 100 nm的纳米通道,以及整齐均匀的中央有纳米通道的微米柱复合结构阵列。当光源为405 nm连续光纤激光时,与正性光刻胶作用,也得到了直径小至153 nm的纳米柱复合结构及其阵列。这些纳米结构的基本单元尺寸都突破了光学“阿贝衍射极限”的限制,具有实用潜力。