Passively Q-switched laser performance of Nd:Lu<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Y<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>VO<Subscript>4</Subscript> operating at 1.34 μm with a V:YAG saturable absorber

A diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:Lu_0.15Y_0.85VO₄ crystal laser at 1.34 μm with V:YAG employed as the saturable absorber was demonstrated for the first time to our best knowledge. The maximum average output power of 0.529 W was achieved under the pump power of 5.6 W, corresponding to an opticaloptical conversion efficiency of over 9.4% and slope efficiency of over 16%. The pulse width was shortened to 85.6 ns, corresponding to the maximum pulse repetition rate of 250 kHz. The largest single pulse energy and peak power were 5.57 μJ and 58.74 W, respectively.     

Double-loss-modulated q-switched and mode-locked Nd:Lu<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Y<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>VO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser at 1.34 μm with single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber and AO modulator

A diode-pumped dual-loss-modulated Q-switched and mode-locked (QML) Nd:Lu_0.15Y_0.85VO₄ laser at 1.34 μm with single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber (SWCNT-SA) and acousto-optic (AO) modulator is demonstrated. The modulation depth of the dual-loss-modulated QML laser reaches 90%, being deeper than 75% that obtained by the single passively QML laser. The stability of the hybrid QML laser is significantly improved if compared to that only with SWCNT-SA. The Q-switched pulse energy and the Q-switched pulse width of the QML laser with the dual-loss-modulation are 487 and 27% of those only with SWCNT-SA, respectively.     

Pulse characteristics of passively Q-switched 1.34 μm Nd:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Co<Superscript>2+</Superscript>:MgAl<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser

Passively Q-switched output of a diode-pumped 1.34 μm Nd:GdVO₄ laser was demonstrated by using Co²⁺:MgAl₂O₄(Co²⁺:MALO) crystal as the saturable absorber for the first time. When the transmission of output mirror is 15%, the Q-switched pulse width is 110 ns and a corresponding average output power is 460 mW under the pump power of 9.69 W. The optical-optical conversion efficiency is 36%. At about 330 kHz repetition rate, the single Q-switched pulse energy and the peak power are about 1.39 μJ and 12.6 W, respectively.     

Directly LD-pumped passively Q-switched YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser at 1.34 μm with a V<Superscript>3+</Superscript>: YAG saturable absorber

The performance of a directly LD-pumped passively Q-switched YVO₄-Nd:YVO₄ laser at 1.34 μm with a V³⁺:YAG saturable absorber was demonstrated for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The average output power of 580 mW was obtained at the pump power of 8.8 W, corresponding to the optical conversion efficiency of 6.6% and slope efficiency of 11%. The minimum pulse width was 280 ns with the pulse repetition rate of 230 kHz, which was attained with a T = 5.6% output coupler at the pump power of 8.8 W.     

Steady state mode-locking of a 1.34 μm Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser using a single-walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber

Steady state mode-locked operation of a neodymium laser operating on the ⁴F_3/2 → ⁴I_13/2 transition around 1.3 μm is achieved for the first time using transmitting single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) saturable absorber. The Nd:YVO₄ laser cavity was optimized for large fundamental mode volume generating an average power of 0.8 W at a repetition rate of 127 MHz in a stable train of 16.5 ps long pulses.     

6.5-ns actively Q-switched Nd:YVO_4 laser operating at 1.34 μm

With a plano-concave cavity,diode-pumped continuous-wave(CW) and actively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser operating at 1.34 μm is demonstrated.Maximum CW output power of 4.76 W and Q-switched average output power of 2.64 W are obtained with output coupler(transmission T = 3.9%).For the Q-switching operation,the theoretically calculated pulse energy and pulse width,with a pulse repetition frequency(PRF) range of 5-40 kHz,coincide with the experimental results.With a T = 11.9% output coupler,the maximum peak power of 24.3 kW and minimum pulse width of 6.5 ns are obtained when the PRF is 10 kHz.To the best of our knowledge,this is the shortest actively Q-switched pulse duration ever obtained in a 1.3-μm Nd-doped vanadate laser.     

Diode-pumped cw and Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser operating at 1.34 μm

A diode-pumped 1.34 m Nd:GdVO₄ laser operating in cw and active Q-switching modes has been demonstrated. 4.15 W of cw output power was obtained at the highest attainable pump power of 12.3 W, resulting in an optical conversion efficiency of 33.7%, the slope efficiency was determined to be 37.6%. In Q-switching operation, a maximum average output power of 2.7 W was generated at pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 50 kHz, with an optical conversion efficiency of 22% and a slope efficiency of 29.2%. The laser pulses with shortest duration, highest energy and peak power were achieved at PRF of 10 kHz, the parameters being 15 ns, 160 J, and 10.7 kW, respectively. By intracavity frequency-doubling with a type II phased-matched KTP crystal, 0.62 W average power at 0.67 m was produced at a PRF of 15 kHz, the resulting pulse energy, peak power, and pulse width being 41.3 J, 2.2 kW, and 19 ns, respectively. A group of analytical formulae, based on rate equations, are presented to evaluate the operational parameters of an actively Q-switched laser. Calculated results were found to be in close consistency with the experimental data.     

End-pumped Tm,Ho:NaY(WO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystal laser at 2.07 μm

We presented an infrared laser output at 2.07 μm with Tm,Ho:NaY(WO₄)₂ crystal end-pumped by 795 nm laser diode at room temperature. The crystal was grown by the Czochralski method with the concentrations of 5 at % Tm³⁺ and 1 at % Ho³⁺. The highest output power was up to 2.7 W corresponding to the crystal temperature being controlled at 283 K. The overall optical conversion efficiency was 5.4% and the slop efficiency was 26%. The output characteristics and the laser threshold affected by the pulse duration and temperature have been studied. We found the stability of the output power was correlative with the crystal temperature heavily. In addition, the wider pulse duration of pump could promote the output power efficiently.     

RTP Q-switched 2 μm Tm,Ho:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Laser

In this paper, we report the performance of a diode-pumped cryogenic Tm (5 at %), Ho (0.5 at %):GdVO₄ laser with an RTP pockel cell Q-switch at different pulse repetition rate including 300 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz. At the pump power of 6.96 W, the maximum output of 1.7 mJ with a pulse width of 28 ns was achieved under 300 Hz repetition rate, corresponding to a peak power of 61 kW. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that RTP was used as a Q-switch generator in the 2 μm Tm,Ho:GdVO₄ laser.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> and Nd:KGd(WO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> 1.3 μm lasers passively Q-switched with PbS-doped glass

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO₄ and Nd:KGW lasers passively Q-switched with PbS-quantum dot-doped phosphate glass were demonstrated. For the Nd:YVO₄ laser, pulses 110 ns in duration with a 13% Q-switching efficiency were obtained. The absorption recovery time of the PbS-doped glass was measured to be 27±4 ps. Some recommendations for more efficient use of PbS-doped glasses for Q-switching of diode-pumped lasers are suggested on the basis of our analysis. Received: 29 July 2002 / Revised version: 18 September 2002 / Published online: 12 February 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +375-17/232-6286, E-mail: savitski@eudoramail.com     

6.5-ns actively Q-switched Nd：YVO4 laser operating at 1.34 μm

A novel design of multimode light power splitter is proposed and fabricated by using secondary asymmetric Y branches.An almost equally divided output among output terminals is obtained experimentally.Maskless laser direct writing technique is applied in the fabrication process to facilitate the formation of power splitters by ultraviolet curable polymer.The analysis of the performances of both four-port and eight-port devices shows that these two dividers obtain a power splitting uniformity of more than 95%.     

Pulse width compression and enhancement of peak power in a diode-pumped doubly Q-switched Nd:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> 1.34 μm laser with AO and V<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:YAG saturable absorber

By using both acousto-optic (AO) modulator and V³⁺:YAG saturable absorber, a diode-pumped doubly Q-switched a-cut Nd:GdVO₄ laser at 1.34 μm is realized. The average output power and the pulse width for different AO repetition rate f have been measured. The experimental results show that the doubly Q-switched laser can compress the pulse width and improve the pulsed peak power in comparison to the singly Q-switched laser with AO or V³⁺:YAG saturable absorber. At the pump power 10.34 W and f = 10 kHz, the greatest pulse width compression ratio 72% and the highest peak power improvement 8.8 times have been obtained, respectively.     

Er,Yb:YAl<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>—efficient 1.5 μm laser crystal

This article summarizes the latest achievements in the growth and characterization of Er,Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ laser crystal emitting in the 1.5–1.6 μm spectral range. Fundamental spectroscopic parameters relevant to laser performance of Er,Yb:YAB derived from absorption and emission spectra and from excited state dynamics are presented. The laser performance of Er,Yb:YAB in the cw and mode-locked regimes is reported.     

Spectral properties and 1.5–1.6 μm laser operation of Er:Yb:NaCe(WO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystal

An Er:Yb:NaCe(WO₄)₂ crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. Spectral properties of the crystal were investigated and compared with those of the Er:Yb:Ce:NaGd(WO₄)₂ crystal. The green up-conversion was not observed when the Er:Yb:NaCe(WO₄)₂ crystal was excited by a diode laser at 970 nm. The efficiency of energy transfer from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ in the Er:Yb:NaCe(WO₄)₂ crystal was calculated to be about 93%. End-pumped by a diode laser at 970 nm in a hemispherical cavity, 0.95 W quasi-CW laser at 1.5–1.6 μm was achieved in a 1.47-mm-thick c-cut Er:Yb:NaCe(WO₄){ia2} crystal, the slope efficiency was 11%, and the threshold was 2.83 W.     

Experiment and modeling of a diode-pumped 1.3 μm Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser passively Q-switched with PbS-doped glass

A diode-pumped 1.34 m Nd:YVO₄ laser passively Q-switched with PbS quantum dots doped glass is presented. An average output power of 24 mW with a Q-switching efficiency of 13% and a Q-switched pulse width of 15 ns was obtained. A four level spectroscopic model of a PbS quantum dots doped glass saturable absorber is applied to numerically simulate passively Q-switched Nd:YVO₄ laser operation. It has been shown that for the simulation of passive Q-switching of 1.3 m Nd:YVO₄ lasers with PbS doped glasses as the saturable absorbers, it is necessary to take into account intensity dependence of bleaching relaxation times. PACS 42.60.Gd; 42.55.Xi; 42.70.Hj     

A comprehensive study of Nd:YAG,Nd:YAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript>, Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> and Nd:YGdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> lasers operating at wavelengths of 0.9 and 1.3 μm. Part 2: passively mode locked-operation

This paper reports on the generation of picosecond (ps) laser pulses by self-phase-adjusting additive-pulse-mode-locking (PSA) at wavelengths of 0.9 and 1.3 μm. The main objective of this work was to investigate and compare the characteristic optical properties of ps lasers based on different Nd-doped laser crystals like Nd:YAG, Nd:YAlO₃, Nd:YVO₄ and Nd:GdVO₄. As a result of these investigations a mode-locked Nd:YVO₄ laser for example, generated, ps pulses at 1.3 μm with a duration of 7 ps, a repetition rate of 160 MHz and an average power of 4.7 W. At 0.9 μm pulses with a duration of 1.9 ps were obtained at a repetition rate of 158 MHz and an average power of 2.8 W. PACS  42.70.Hj; 42.65.Re; 42.65.Ky     

Efficient continuous-wave YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Raman laser at 1176 nm

We present a simple and compact continuous-wave (CW) 1176 nm laser based on self-frequency Raman conversion in continuous-grown YVO₄/Nd:YVO₄ composite crystal. With a composite crystal 30 mm in length, a maximum output power up to 1.84 W was achieved at the incident diode pump power of 23.6 W. Corresponding to overall optical conversion, the efficiency was 7.8% and the slope efficiency was 8.5%. The conversion efficiency has been doubled compared with the conventional Nd:YVO₄ CW self-frequency Raman laser. The excellent performance of this laser shows that the long continuous-grown YVO₄/Nd:YVO₄ composite crystal is promising in the application of CW Raman lasers and ideal for miniaturization.     

Effect of substitutional order on the relaxation of aluminum nuclei in Y<Subscript>3−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Lu<Subscript>x</Subscript>Al<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> mixed garnets

The spin-lattice relaxation time of ²⁷Al nuclei residing in the octahedral and tetrahedral oxygen environment in Y_{3 ?x}Lu_xAl₅O₁₂ mixed aluminum-yttrium garnets was measured by the NMR method for 0≤x≤3. A maximum in the concentration dependence of the relaxation time was observed for both crystallographic positions at x=0.75; this maximum correlates with the minimum in the NMR linewidth, indicating the ordering obtained as the yttrium and lutetium ions occupy the dodecahedral positions in the garnet lattice.     

Actively Q-switched laser performance of Nd:Gd x Y1−x VO4: a class of mixed vanadate crystals

We report for the first time the actively Q-switched laser performance of a class of mixed Nd:Gd _x Y_1−x VO₄ crystals. In comparison with the ordered Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YVO₄, an enhancement in both pulse energy and peak power is demonstrated in the low pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) range of 5–20 kHz, confirming Nd:Gd_0.64 Y_0.36VO₄ as the most advantageous in this respect. Laser pulses of 8.3-ns duration are generated at PRF=10 kHz with pulse energy and peak power being respectively 171 μJ and 20.6 kW. While for high-PRF operation (>∼40 kHz), the ordered Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YVO₄ prove to be superior to the mixed crystals.     

Orientation dependence of electrical properties of 0.96Na<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-0.04BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> lead-free piezoelectric single crystal

In this paper, a single crystal of 0.96Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃-0.04BaTiO₃ with dimensions of Φ 30×10 mm was grown by the top-seeded-solution growth method. X-ray powder diffraction results show that the as-grown crystal possesses the rhombohedral perovskite-type structure. The dielectric, piezoelectric and electrical conductivity properties were systematically investigated with 〈001〉, 〈110〉 and 〈111〉 oriented crystal samples. The room-temperature dielectric constants for the 〈001〉, 〈110〉 and 〈111〉 oriented crystal samples are found to be 650, 740 and 400 at 1 kHz. The (T _m, ε _m) values of the dielectric temperature spectra are almost independent of the crystal orientations; they are (306°C, 3718), (305°C, 3613) and (307°C, 3600) at 1 kHz for the 〈001〉, 〈110〉 and 〈111〉 oriented crystal. The optimum poling conditions were obtained by investigating the piezoelectric constants d ₃₃ as a function of poling temperature and poling electric field. For the 〈001〉 and 〈110〉 crystal samples, the maximum d ₃₃ values of 146 and 117 pC/N are obtained when a poling electric field of 3.5 kV/mm and a poling temperature of 80°C were applied during the poling process. The as-grown 0.96Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃-0.04BaTiO₃ crystal possesses a relatively large dc electrical conductivity, especially at higher temperature, having a value of 1.98×10⁻¹¹ Ω⁻¹⋅m⁻¹ and 3.95×10⁻⁹ Ω⁻¹⋅m⁻¹ at 25°C and 150°C for the 〈001〉 oriented crystal sample.