Low-threshold mid-IR MgO:PPLN optical parametric generation with high reflectivity mirror for signal wavelength

A low-threshold middle-infrared(mid-IR)MgO:PPLN optical parametric generation(OPG)pumped by a laser diode(LD)end-pumped Z-type Nd:YLF laser at 1047 nm is realized with high reflectivity(HR) mirror for signal.At repetition rate of 10 kHz,the OPG threshold of 50μJ has been achieved with HR mirror for signal.Compared with the threshold without mirror,the threshold decreases by 17%.Using HR mirror for pump at output side of crystal,the threshold of 40μJ is achieved.The 2.7-4.1μm continuous tunable output is produced with seven grating periods from 28.5 to 31.5μm and temperatures from 30 to 200℃.When the incident average pump power is 3 W,the OPG idler output power is 0.46 W at 3.26μm,which corresponds to optical-to-optical conversion efficiency up to 15.3%.     

Low-threshold mid-IR MgO:PPLN optical parametric generation with high reflectivity mirror for signal wavelength

A low-threshold middle-infrared(mid-IR) MgO:PPLN optical parametric generation(OPG)pumped by a laser diode(LDl end-pumped Z-type Nd:YLF laser at 1047 nm is realized with high reflectivity(HR) mirror for signal.At repetition rate of 10 kHz,the OPG threshold of 50μJ has been achieved with HR mirror for signal.Compared with the threshold without mirror,the threshold decreases by 17%.Using HR mirror for pump at output side of crystal,the threshold of 40μJ is achieved.The 2.7-4.1μm continuous tunable output is produced with seven grating periods from 28.5 to 31.5μm and temperatures from 30 to 200℃.When the incident average pump power is 3 W.the OPG idler output power is 0.46 W at 3.26 μm,which corresponds to optical-to-optical conversion efficiency up to 15.3%.     

A periodically poled LiNbO3 in wavelength conversion optical parametric generator from 2 to 3.88 ——4.34 μm

A periodically poled lithium niobate （PPLN） optical parametric generator （OPG） pumped by a laser diode （LD）-pumped Q-switched Tm,Ho：GdVO4 laser operated at 2.048 μm with pump pulse of 25 ns and repetition rate of 10 kHz is reported. A continuous tunable middle-infrared （mid-IR） spectrum of 3.88 - 4.34 μm is obtained by changing the crystal temperature from 50 to 124℃. When the incident pump power is 3 W, the total OPG output power is 95 mW, corresponding to optical conversion efficiency of 3.2%.     

High-Average-Power Nanosecond Quasi-Phase-Matched Single-Pass Optical Parametric Generator in Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate

A pulsed nanosecond optical parametric generator (OPG) in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crysal is presented. The pump laser is an acousto-optically Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser with the maximum average power of 6.58 W. When the repetition rate is 50kHz and the pulse width of the pump source is 80ns, the maximum average total output power of the single-pass PPLN OPG is about 1.9 W, which includes 1.322 W of 1.536μm signal radiation. The length of the PPLN crystal is only 38.7mm (at room temperature) with a grating period of 28.93μm (at room temperature). The 1.502-1.536μm signal radiation and 3.652-3.465μm idler radiation are obtained by adjusting the PPLN crystal temperature from 155℃ to 250℃.     

Widely and continuously tunable optical parametric generator based on MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO_3 crystal

A widely and continuously tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) pumped by a 1064-nm acousto-optically Q-switched diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser based on MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal with a multigrating structure (29.2-30.4μm) is reported. A broad continuous signal spectrum of 1513-1700 nm is obtained by changing the crystal grating periods from 29.2 to 30.4μm and by tuning the crystal temperature from 30 to 180℃simultaneously. When the average pump power is 1.82 W with pulse duration of about 70 ns operating at a repetition rate of 10 kHz, the maximum signal output power of the periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate (PPMgLN) OPG is about 210 mW corresponding to the idler and total powers of 118.4 and 328.4 mW respectively.     

Middle-infrared intracavity periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 optical parametric oscillator

A periodically poled magnesium oxide-doped lithium niobate (5 mol% MgO:PPLN) intracavity optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a diode-pumped Q-switched Nd:YLF laser operating at 1.047μm is reported. A broad continuous tunable middle-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum of 2.69-4.07μm is obtained by changing the crystal grating periods from 28.5 to 31.5 μm. When the diode pump power is 8 W,the intracavity OPO operating at a repetition rate of 10 kHz produces average output power of 0.42 W,corresponding to conversion efficiency of 5.2% from the laser diode pump to OPO idler output.     

Widely and continuously tunable optical parametric generator based on MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal

A widely and continuously tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) pumped by a 1064-nm acoustooptically Q-switched diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser based on MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal with a multigrating structure (29.2-30.4 μm) is reported.A broad continuous signal spectrum of 1513-1700 nm is obtained by changing the crystal grating periods from 29.2 to 30.4μm and by tuning the crystal temperature from 30 to 180 ℃ simultaneously.When the average pump power is 1.82 W with pulse duration of about 70 ns operating at a repetition rate of 10 kHz,the maximum signal output power of the periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate (PPMgLN) OPG is about 210 mW corresponding to the idler and total powers of 118.4 and 328.4 mW respectively.     

High power 1.57-μm OPO pumped by MOPA with SBS

A Nd:YAG master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, pumped by a pulse flash-lamps as the pump source of optical parametric oscillator (OPO), is employed to improve the pump beam quality of OPO pump source. A back amplifying configuration with stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) phase conjugation mirror is used. OPO pump laser energy of 611 mJ/pulse with 30-ns pulse duration is obtained, and near diffraction limited beam quality is achieved. Based on the type Ⅱ degenerate non-critically phase-matched KTP crystal, the OPO is used to convert pump beam from 1.064μm to 1.57μm, eye-safe near infrared laser range source. 1.57-μm output energy of 209 mJ/pulse with 18-ns pulse duration is attained with a short cavity KTP OPO, when pump laser energy is approximately 611 mJ. OPO conversion efficiency is up to 38.7% when pump laser energy is approximately 200 mJ.     

High power 1.57-μm OPO pumped by MOPA with SBS

A Nd:YAG master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, pumped by a pulse flash-lamps as the pump source of optical parametric oscillator (OPO), is employed to improve the pump beam quality of OPO pump source. A back amplifying configuration with stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) phase conjugation mirror is used. OPO pump laser energy of 611 mJ/pulse with 30-ns pulse duration is obtained, and near diffraction limited beam quality is achieved. Based on the type Ⅱdegenerate non-critically phase-matched KTP crystal, the OPO is used to convert pump beam from 1.064 μm to 1.57 μm, eye-safe near infrared laser range source. 1.57-μm output energy of 209 mJ/pulse with 18-ns pulse duration is attained with a short cavity KTP OPO, when pump laser energy is approximately 611 mJ. OPO conversion efficiency is up to 38.7% when pump laser energy is approximately 200 mJ.     

A novel 2-μm pulsed fiber laser based on a supercontinuum source and its application to mid-infrared supercontinuum generation

A new method to achieve 2-μm pulsed fiber lasers based on a supercontinuum(SC) is demonstrated. The incident pump light is a pulsed SC which contains a pump light and a signal light at the same time. The initial signal of the seed laser is provided by the incident pump light and amplified in the cavity. Based on this, we obtain a 2-μm pulsed laser with pulse repetition rate of 50 kHz and pulse width of 2 ns from the Tm-doped fiber laser. This 2-μm pulsed laser is amplified by two stages of fiber amplifiers, then the amplified laser is used for mid-infrared(mid-IR) SC generation in a 10-m length of ZrF4–BaF2–LaF3–AlF3–NaF(ZBLAN) fiber. An all-fiber-integrated mid-IR SC with spectrum ranging from 1.8 μm to4.3 μm is achieved. The maximal average output power of the mid-IR SC from the ZBLAN fiber is 1.24 W(average output power beyond 2.5 μm is 340 mW), corresponding to an output efficiency of 6.6% with respect to the 790-nm pump power.     

A 2.048μm Tm,Ho:GdVO4 Laser Pumped Doubly Resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator Based on Periodically Poled Lithium LiNbO3

A multi-grating periodically poled LiNb03 （PPLN） doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator （DROPO） pumped by a 2-ttm laser is demonstrated experimentally. Employing acousto-optically Q-switched Tm,Ho：GdV04 laser with pump pulse of 25ns and repetition rate of lOkHz as pump sources firstly, the noncritically quasi- phase-matched （QPM） tunable mid-IR output in 3.87-4.43 μm is produced. Wavelength tuning is achieved with crystal temperature tuning from 50-180^o C. When the incident average pump power is 3 W at 2.048μm, the total OPO output power of 195mW at wavelength 3.88μm is obtained, corresponding to optical-to-optical conversion efficiency up to 6.5%.     

Efficient Long Wave IR Laser from Ho：YAG 2 μm Pumped ZnGeP2 Optical Parametric Oscillator

An efficient high power long wave infrared laser based on ZnGeP2 optical parametric oscillator pumped by a 2.09μm Tm：YLF/Ho：YAG laser at 10KHz pulse repetition rate is reported. The pump to idler conversion efficiency is 8% at 15.6W Ho pump power level and a quantum efficiency of 31% when the 1idler wavelength is tuned at 8.08μm. The wavelength tuning range from 8-9.1μm is also achieved by rotating the ZGP crystal.     

Widely continuous-tunable 2.789-4.957 μm twin- MgO：PPLN cascaded optical parametric oscillator

An all-solid-state mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator with wide tunability by using two identical multi-grating periodically poled 5-mol.-% MgO-doped lithium niobate cascaded is reported. The pump laser is an acousto-optically Q-switched Nd：YAG laser with 150-ns pulse width at repetition rate of 10 kHz. Wide tunability from 2.789 to 4.957μm at the idler wavelength is achieved by varying the temperature from 40 to 200 ~C and translating the grating periods from 26 to 31 μm with a step of 0.5μm. When the incident pump average power is 8.15 W, the maximum idler output average power is 2.23 W at 3.344 μm and the optic-optic conversion efficiency is about 27.4%.     

Multi-coupler side-pumped Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser

The side-coupler of angle polished method, using angle-polished multimode fiber and optical adhesive, is used to efficiently pump an Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser. The maximum coupling efficiency of 78.6% is achieved by the side-coupler for a multimode fiber with a circular core of 200μm and a double-clad fiber with a 350/400μm D-shaped inner cladding. While laser diodes (LDs) with three side-couplers are simultaneously used as pump sources, maximum output power of 1.38 W and slope efficiency of 48.9% are demonstrated in the fiber laser system.     

A ZnGeP2 Optical Parametric Oscillator with Mid-IR Output Power 3W Pumped by a Tm,Ho:GdVO4 Laser

We report an efficient mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator （OPO） pumped by a pulsed Tm,Ho-codoped GdVO4 laser. The IO-W Tm,Ho：GdVO4 laser pumped by a 801 nm diode produces 20ns pulses with a repetition rate of lO kHz at wavelength of 2.0481μm. The ZnGeP2 （ZGP） OPO produces 15-ns pulses in the spectral regions 3.65-3.8μm and 4.45-4.65μm simultaneously. More than 3 W of mid-IR output power can be generated with a total OPO slope efficiency greater than 58% corresponding to incident 2μm pump power. The diode laser pump to mid-IR optical conversion efficiency is about 12%.     

A Continuous-Wave Ho:YAlO3 Laser with Output 8.5W Pumped by a 1.91μm Laser at Room Temperature

A cw high efficient Ho:YAlO₃ laser pumped by 1.91μm diode-pumped Tm:YLF laser at room temperature is realized. The maximum output power reaches 8.5W when the incident pump power is 15.6W. The slope efficiency is 63.7%, and the Tm:YLF to Ho:YAP optical conversion efficiency is 54.5%. The laser wavelength is 2118.3nm when the transmission of output coupler is 30%. The beam quality factor is M²~1.39 measured by the traveling knife-edge method.     

Q-Switching Pulse Operation in 1.5-μm Region Using Copper Nanoparticles as Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser(EDFL)using a copper nanoparticle(CuNP)thin film as the saturable absorber in a ring cavity.A stable Q-switched pulse operation is observed as the CuNP saturable absorber(SA)is introduced in the cavity.The pulse repetition rate of the EDFL is observed to be proportional to the pump power,and is limited to 101.2 kHz by the maximum pump power of 113.7 mW.On the other hand,the pulse width reduces from 10.19 ps to 4.28 ps as the pump power is varied from 26.1 mW to 113.7 mW.The findings suggest that CuNP SA could be useful as a potential saturable absorber for the development of the robust,compact,efficient and low cost Q-switched fiber laser operating at 1.5-μm region.     

Realization of a low threshold multiwavelength brillouin/erbium fiber laser by optimizing the reflected power

A multiwavelength Brillouin/erbium fiber laser (BEFL) with low threshold power is realized. A low threshold power of 3 mW and a wide tuning range of 18 nm can be achieved by controlling the reflected power in the nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM). Up to 24 lines with a wavelength spacing of 0.086 nm are generated at the Brillouin pump and at the 1 480-nm pump with 0.5 dBm (0.9 mW) and 25 mW of power, respectively.     

A compact graphene Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser using optical circulator and tunable fiber Bragg grating

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched tunable erbium-doped fiber laser(EDFL)based on graphene as a saturable absorber(SA).A three-port optical circulator(OC)and a strain-induced tunable fiber Bragg grating(TFBG)are used as the two end mirrors in an all-fiber linear cavity.The Q-switched EDFL has a low pump threshold of 23.8 mW.The pulse repetition rate of the fiber laser can be widely changed from 9.3 kHz to 69.7 kHz by increasing the pump power from23.8 mW to 219.9 mW.The minimum pulse duration is 1.7μs and the highest pulse energy is 25.4 nJ.The emission wavelength of the laser can be tuned from 1560.43 nm to 1566.27 nm by changing the central wavelength of the straininduced TFBG.     

1 kHz nanosecond-pulsed room temperature Fe:ZnSe laser gain-switched by a ZnGeP_2 optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate a Fe:ZnSe laser gain-switched by a ZnGeP_2 optical parametric oscillator(OPO) under the pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz at room temperature. The 2.9 μm signal light of the OPO is employed as the pump for the Fe:ZnSe laser. The maximum output power of the Fe:ZnSe laser is 58 mW with the pulse duration of 2.7 ns under the incident pump power of 280 mW, corresponding to a peak pulse power of 21.5 kW and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 20.7%. The spectrum of the Fe:ZnSe laser has a range of 4030.2–4593.6 nm with a dip at 4187.1–4340.4 nm due to the absorption of CO_2.