激光自倍频晶体研究和应用进展

激光自倍频晶体是一类同时具有激光和非线性效应的复合功能晶体。以激光自倍频晶体制作的全固态激光器具有体积小,调整方便,稳定性高等优点。自1970年代以来,以LiNbO3,YAl3(BO3)4倍频晶体为基质的激光自倍频晶体实现了自倍频激光运转。近年来,以RECa4O(BO3)3(RECOB)为基质的激光自倍频晶体受到重视和广泛研究。本文从对激光晶体、非线性光学晶体及激光自倍频晶体的基本要求出发,在综述激光自倍频晶体研究历史的基础上,讨论了激光自倍频晶体中的基波和倍频光,探讨了NYAB和Nd:GdCOB一类晶体中晶体长度,Nd3+浓度和效率之间的关系。理论估算表明,当浓度适当,晶体长度10mm时,这两类晶体的光–光转换效率可达30%以上。本文总结了NYAB系列晶体的研究历程及RECOB系列激光自倍频研究的思路及取得的成果。在最近10年中,利用山东大学生长的Yb:YAB晶体,获得1.1 W自倍频绿光,光光转换效率为10%;在RECOB体系中,比较了各种晶体的特点,选定Nd:GdCOB为主要研究对象,经过晶体掺钕浓度和长度关系,位相匹配方向、膜系及热工程等多方面研究,获得了1.36 W的545 nm绿光输出,光–光转换效率为17.1%;输出功率为1.03 W时,半小时功率波动不超过1%。这是目前为止,Nd3+离子激光自倍频晶体的最好结果。文章最后介绍了激光自倍频晶体的可能应用。通过理论和实验分析,认为到目前为止Nd:GdCOB是以Nd3+为激活离子最后的激光自倍频晶体,而在Yb3+为激活离子时,Yb:YAB晶体最佳。     

New green self-frequency-doubling diode-pumped Nd:Ca4GdO(BO3)3 laser

3+ :Ca₄GdO(BO₃)₃ (Nd:GdCOB). 21 mW of green cw laser emission for an absorbed pump power of 820 mW were achieved under laser diode-pumping. 64 mW of green cw laser output were obtained with 1 W of absorbed pump power under titanium-sapphire pumping. Its availability in large-size crystals with good optical quality makes Nd:GdCOB a true challenger to the best SFD laser crystal reported so far: Nd:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ (Nd:YAB or NYAB). Received: 2 March 1998/Revised version: 20 May 1998     

Dual-Wavelength and Passively Q-Switched Nd :GdVO4 Lasers Operated at 1.34 μm Under 880 nm Diode Pumping

We report continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched Nd :GdVO₄ lasers on ⁴F_3/2 → ⁴I_13/2 transition directly pumped by an 880 nm diode laser. A widely investigated Nd :GdVO₄ laser at about 1341 nm is operated with a maximum output power of 5.23 W and a slope efficiency of about 30.6%. Using an etalon for wavelength selection, we realize laser emission at about 1344 nm, for the first time to our knowledge, in a Nd :GdVO₄ laser, with a maximum output power of 4.19 W and a slope efficiency of 20.1%. Moreover, we achieve simultaneous dual-wavelength lasing at 1341 and 1344 nm with a maximum output power of 2.27 W and a slope efficiency of 13.5%, respectively. Using V³⁺ :YAG as a saturable absorber, stable Q switching is obtained at about 1341 nm with a maximum average output power of 1.15 W. The pulse width is 52.8 ns at a repetition rate of 279.8 kHz.

     

All-solid-state continuous-wave frequency-doubling Nd:LuVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/GBCOB laser at 533 nm

We report an efficient intracavity second-harmonic generation (SHG) at 1066 nm in a non-linear optical crystal, GdCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (GdCOB), performed with a diode end pumped continuous-wave (CW) Nd:LuVO₄ laser. In the case of a laser with a Nd:LuVO₄ crystal frequency-doubled with a GdCOB crystal cut for type I frequency doubling. A CW SHG output power of 5.18 W has been obtained using a 10 mm long GCOB crystal. The optical conversion efficiency with respect to the incident pump power was 28.5%.     

1064 nm Nd:YAG laser intracavity pumped at 946 nm

We present for the first time a Nd:YAG laser emitting at 1064 nm intracavity pumped by a 946 nm diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser. A 885 nm laser diode is used to pump the first Nd:YAG crystal emitting at 946 nm, and the second Nd:YAG laser emitting at 1064 nm intracavity pumped at 946 nm. We achieved an output power of 7.97 W at 1064 nm for an absorbed pump power at 946 nm of 9.55 W, corresponding to an optical efficiency of 83.4%. The beam quality M² quality factor is about 1.1 at the maximum output power.     

Efficient intracavity second-harmonic generation at 1063 nm in a GdCOB crystal

We report an efficient intracavity second-harmonic generation (SHG) at 1063 nm in a non-linear optical crystal, GdCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (GdCOB), performed with a diode end pumped continuous-wave (CW) Nd:GdVO₄ laser. In the case of a laser with an a-cut 0.4 at % Nd:GdVO₄ crystal frequency-doubled with a GdCOB crystal cut for Type I frequency doubling. A CW SHG output power of 2.25 W has been obtained using a 15 mm long GCOB crystal. The optical conversion efficiency with respect to the incident pump power was 12.4%.     

CW Nd:LuVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-GdCa<Subscript>4</Subscript>O(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> red laser under direct 888 nm pumping

We report a red laser at 672 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave (CW) laser operation of a 1343 nm Nd:LuVO₄ laser under in-band diode pumping at 888 nm. An GdCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (GdCOB) crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation of the laser. At an incident pump power of 17.8 W, as high as 1.73 W of CW output power at 672 nm is achieved. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 9.7%, and the fluctuation of the red output power was better than 3.3% in the given 30 min.     

国产掺Nd3+透明薄片陶瓷的光学性能研究

研究了国产透明陶瓷Nd∶YAG和Nd∶YSAG的光学和激光性能.介绍了透明陶瓷Nd∶YAG和Nd∶YSAG的制作方法及其光谱性能,报道了相应的激光实验结果.对于Nd∶YAG薄片激光器,得到了中心波长1 064.2 nm,半高全宽为0.89 nm的激光输出,泵浦阈值功率0.267 W,最大激光输出功率0.319 W.对于Nd∶YSAG薄片激光器,由于荧光寿命比较长,可实现高掺杂,输出激光的中心波长为1 063.8 nm,半高全宽为1.6 nm,最大激光输出功率为0.356 W,斜率效率达23.2％,结果证明国产Nd∶YSAG陶瓷适用于短脉冲薄片激光器.     

83 W yellow-green laser at 556 nm from frequency-doubling of a Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser at 1112 nm in LBO

We demonstrate a high power 556 nm yellow-green laser by intracavity frequency doubled of the diode-pumped 1112 nm Nd:YAG laser in a symmetrical L-shaped flat-flat cavity. The coatings of the resonator mirrors were carefully designed to achieve efficient operation of fundamental wavelength of the laser at 1112 nm. By using a type-II phase matching LBO nonlinear crystal as the frequency-doubler, the maximum output power of the 556 nm laser was measured to be as high as 83 W with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 10 kHz under incident pump power of 1150 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of about 7.2%. The fluctuation of output power was less than 2% over 30 min.     

All-solid-state intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:Y<Subscript>0.36</Subscript>Gd<Subscript>0.64</Subscript>VO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-GdCa<Subscript>4</Subscript>O(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> green laser under direct 880 nm pumping

We report a green laser at 532 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave (CW) laser operation of a 1064 nm Nd:Y_0.36Gd_0.64VO₄ laser under in-band diode pumping at 880 nm. An GdCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (GdCOB) crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation of the laser. At an incident pump power of 17.8 W, as high as 2.92 W of CW output power at 532 nm is achieved. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 16.4%, and the fluctuation of the green output power was better than 2.5% in the given 30 min.     

Diode end-pumped 1123-nm Nd:YAG laser with 2.6-W output power

We present a compact and high output power diode end-pumped Nd:YAG laser which operates at the wavelength of 1123 nm. Continuous wave (CW) laser output of 2.6 W was achieved at the incident pump power of 15.9 W, indicating an overall optical-optical conversion efficiency of 16.4%, and the slope efficiency was 18%.     

Efficient dual-wavelength operation of Nd:LYSO laser by diode pumping aimed toward the absorption peak

By aiming the pump wavelength of the laser diode to the absorption peak at 811 nm of the (Nd 0.005 Lu 0.4975 Y 0.4975 ) 2 SiO 5 (Nd:LYSO) crystal, an efficient dual-wavelength operation at 1 075 and 1 079 nm is obtained. The maximum output power is 702 mW when the incident pump power is 2.53 W, corresponding to an optical conversion efficiency of 27.7% and a slope efficiency of 37.0%     

All solid-state CW Nd:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-GdCOB laser at 670 nm

We report the efficient compact red laser at 670 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave laser operation of a diode pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser on the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition at 1340 nm. An GdCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (GdCOB) crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation of the laser. At an incident pump power of 18.2 W, as high as 1.32 W of continuous wave (CW) output power at 670 nm is achieved with 15-mm-long GdCOB. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 7.3%, and the fluctuation of the red output power was better than 3.5% in the given 30 min.     

219.3 W CW diode-side-pumped 1123 nm Nd:YAG laser

We demonstrate a high power continuous wave (CW) diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG laser operating at 1123 nm with a plano-plano configuration. By means of precise coating, a single 1123 nm wavelength is achieved. Under the pump power of 1080 W, an output power of 219.3 W is obtained, which corresponds to an optical-optical conversion efficiency of 20.3%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power for CW 1123 nm laser based on Nd:YAG crystal.     

93.7 W 1112 nm diode-side-pumped CW Nd:YAG laser

We demonstrate a high power continuous wave (CW) infrared laser operated at 1112 nm from a diode side-pumped Nd:YAG crystal with a plano-plano symmetrical resonator. By inserting an etalon, an output power of as high as 93.7 W at 1112 nm was obtained at the pump power of 570 W with conversion efficiency of 16.4%. The beam quality factor of M² was measured to be about 17. The wavelength tunable performance of the etalon was also analyzed. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest output power at 1112 nm CW laser based on Nd:YAG crystal.     

An All-Solid-State Tunable Dual-Wavelength Ti：Sapphire Laser with Quasi-Continuous-Wave Outputs

A high power dual-wavelength Ti：sapphire laser system with wide turning range and high efficiency is described, which consists of two prism-dispersed resonators pumped by an a11-solid-state frequency-doubled Nd：YAG laser. Tunable dual-wavelength outputs, with one wavelength range from 750nm to 795nm and the other from 80Ohm to 850nm, have been demonstrated. With a pump power of 23 W at 532nm, a repetition rate of 6.5kHz and a pulse width of 67.6ns, the maximum dual-wavelength output power of 5.6 W at 785.3nm and 812.1 run, with a pulse width of 17.2ns and a line width of 2nm, has been achieved, leading to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 24.4%.     

Nd:YAG陶瓷与单晶4F3/2–4I13/2跃迁的弱谱线多波长激光性能对比

报道了基于半导体激光端面抽运Nd:YAG的⁴F_3/2–⁴I_13/2 跃迁的弱谱线多波长激光输出. 实验对比了透明陶瓷与单晶材料的激光输出特性, 表明透明陶瓷和单晶材料荧光谱强度的略微差异, 导致了多波长输出时相同两个波长之间的激光强度比在两种材料中的差异. 基于两种耦合输出镜片, 激光阈值都在2 W左右. 在13.5 W的抽运功率下, 基于Nd:YAG透明陶瓷获得了输出功率4.05 W、强度比1 :2的1338与1356 nm双波长激光和输出功率3.65 W、强度比13 : 1的1356与1414 nm 双波长激光, 斜率效率分别达33.9% 和31.9%.     

Diode-pumped Nd:GGG laser at 937 nm under direct pumping

A diode-pumped 937 nm Nd:GGG laser operating on the quasi-three-level under direct pumping at wavelength of around 882 nm is demonstrated, and its performances are investigated. A maximum output power of 358 mW at 937 nm was achieved at absorbed pump power of 4.8 W. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency and the slope efficiency relative to absorbed power were 7.5 and 11.2%, respectively.     

输出功率5.2 W的全固态连续单横模671 nm红光激光器

设计了全固态连续单横模671 nm红光激光器.利用880 nm LD双端端面泵浦Nd:YVO4复合晶体,实现了均匀泵浦并改善了激光晶体热效应;考虑到影响倍频转化效率的各种因素,优化设计了Z字形四镜激光谐振腔,采用I类临界相位匹配晶体LBO作为腔内倍频晶体;当泵浦功率为42.5W时,获得了5.2W的连续单横模671 nm红光输出,光-光转化效率达到12.2％,激光器长期功率稳定性优于±2.5％(1 h).     

LD-pumped Nd:YAG/LBO 556 nm yellow laser

A new laser transition at 1112 nm was obtained after analyzing the parameters of the main laser transitions in Nd:YAG and calculating the transmission loss of the cavity at 1064, 1319, and 946 nm. The maximum output power of the fundamental wavelength was 610 mW, the fundamental wavelength light-to-light conversion efficiency was 38.1%, the maximum output at 556 nm was 109 mW intra-cavity frequency doubled by LBO, the SHG conversion efficiency was 17.8%, and the overall light-to-light efficiency was 6.8% for the pump power of 1.6 W.