High peak power Nd:YAG laser pumped by 600-W diode laser stack

The Q-switched laser with triangle slab made of Nd:YAG crystal side pumped by 600-W quasi-cw diode laser stack has been designed. The multimode (M²≈2.6) output energy of about 42 mJ was demonstrated in free running mode for110-mJ pump energy. In Q-switch experiments, the KDDP Pockels cell was placed between the slab and rear mirror in plane-plane cavity with output coupler of 84% transmission. The energy of 8 mJ in 2.1-ns pulse duration was obtained for near TEM₀₀ output beam. For passive Q-switching by means of Cr:YAG crystal of 12.6% unsaturated transmission, the energy of 5.1 mJ in 2.5-ns pulse duration was obtained for output beam close to TEM₀₀ mode.     

二极管泵浦Nd:YAG圆片激光技术研究

介绍了热容激光技术的发展历史及现状,介绍了固体激光器热容方式工作的基本原理,报道了二极管泵浦NdYAG圆片激光器热容方式工作的实验结果.用热像仪测量了激光器工作时增益介质通光面上的温度分布特性;采用干涉测量的方法测量了工作中的增益介质的与光束传输方向相垂直的方向上的折射率分布特性;结果表明片状固体增益介质热容方式工作对振荡光束波前畸变影响很小.给出了与光束传输方向相垂直的截面上增益介质的荧光分布.得到输出平均功率达47.5 W,此时的光-光转换效率为17%.     

A kilowatt level diode-side-pumped QCW Nd:YAG ceramic laser

We demonstrate a kilowatt level Quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser at 1064 nm. The laser system adopts a master oscillator power amplifier scheme (MOPA). The master oscillator contains two diode-pumped laser modules. Under the pump power of 2000 W, an output power of 686 W was obtained. After amplified by an identical ceramic laser module, a maximum output power of 1020 W was obtained under a total incident pump power of 3433 W, corresponding to an optical-optical conversion efficiency of 29.7%. At the maximal output power, the repetition frequency was measured to be 1 kHz and the pulse width was 114 μs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to realize QCW side-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser system with output power above 1 kW.     

Highly efficient phase locking of four diode pumped Nd:YAG laser beams

We describe the mutual phase-locking of four Nd:YAG beams longitudinally end-pumped by four fiber-coupled diode lasers. Mutual phase-locking is performed by two types of diffractive components located inside a telescopic Fabry–Perot resonator. The control of the phase-locking is shown and the different spatial eigenmodes connected with the pumping geometry in the resonator are theoretically and experimentally studied. 1.2 W is obtained in a single mode stable pattern with 30% optical-to-optical conversion efficiency in the continuous wave regime.     

Partially end-pumped Nd:YAG slab laser with a hybrid resonator

A Nd:YAG slab is partially end pumped by a diode laser stack with three diode laser bars. The pumped volume has a rectangular cross section. A hybrid resonator, which is stable in the plane of small dimension and is off-axis unstable in the plane of large dimension of the gain cross section, was used to yield highly efficient laser operation at diffraction-limited beam quality. The laser design and experimental results are reported.     

108 W Nd: YAG ceramic laser with birefringence compensation resonator

The quartz rotator's effective birefringence compensation for ceramic Nd:YAG rods has been first demonstrated. Furthermore, a high output power continuous-wave laser is presented based on an optimized resonator made up of four Nd:YAG ceramic rods. By an appropriate design of the resonator, an output power of 108 W at 1064 nm is obtained. The corresponding optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is 16.8% and the slope efficiency is 28.1%. Meanwhile, the numerical analysis for output power is detailed.     

A Nd: YAG laser with a flat-top beam profile and constant divergence

An active resonator designed especially for Nd: YAG lasers is proposed. The expected performance of this resonator is the generation of a laser beam with a flat-topped distribution and a divergence invariant under the thermal lensing effect, such that it could be applied to surface treatment without special optical or mechanical elements. The beam quality and efficiency of such a resonator are presented and discussed in comparison with a parallel-plane resonator as adopted by most industrial Nd: YAG lasers.     

In‐band pumped Ti:Tm:LiNbO3 waveguide amplifier and low threshold laser

The fabrication by diffusion doping and a detailed optical investigation of a Ti:Tm:LiNbO₃ waveguide amplifier and of a Fabry‐Pérot type Ti:Tm:LiNbO₃ laser are reported. Both devices are in‐band pumped by a laser diode at 1650 nm. The wave‐guide amplifier shows broad‐band optical gain in the wavelength range 1750 nm < λ < 1900 nm. The laser emits at 1890 nm, the longest emission wavelength of a Tm:LiNbO₃ laser reported so far; also 1850 nm emission could be demonstrated. Laser threshold (1890 nm) is at 4 mW coupled pump power; the slope efficiency is ∼13.3%. Properties and potential of both devices are analyzed by extensive modeling.     

Highly efficient diode side-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser with 210 W output power

We developed a highly efficient diode side-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser with a diffusive reflector as an optical pump cavity. A maximum output power of 211.6 W was obtained with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 48.7%. This corresponds to the highest conversion efficiency in the side-pumped ceramic rod. Thermal effects of the Nd:YAG ceramic rod were analyzed in detail through the measurements of laser output powers and beam profiles near the critically unstable region. A M² beam quality factor of 18.7 was obtained at the maximum laser output power.     

Reduction of beam divergence of a thermal lensing insensitive Nd:YAG laser

In a previous paper we proposed an active resonator designed especially for Nd:YAG lasers. The beam generated by this resonator had a flat-top beam profile and a divergence that was insensitive to the thermal lensing effect. The beam generated by this resonator was, however, too divergent to be focused into a fibre. With the help of numerical simulations, we have found a way to reduce this divergence, and to render the far-field of the laser beam fine enough to be coupled into a fibre with 600 μm core and NA = 0.2.     

四棒串接连续灯泵浦Nd:YAG大功率激光器

 报道了一种符合工业应用的四棒谐振腔连续Nd:YAG激光器。实验中采用对称放置方式四棒串接谐振腔得到2 105 W的平均功率输出，光束参数积24 mm·mrad，系统总光电转换效率达到3.5%。还对影响激光器工作的因素进行了理论分析。     

Nd:YAG板状激光器的理论和实验研究

本文对Nd:YAG板状激光器进行了理论和实验研究。给出了板状介质在重复率泵浦和连续泵浦情况下的温度分布和应力状态的解析解,对板的热效应进行了分析与讨论。并用一块9×30×70mm~3的Nd:YAG板状材料,对其热效应进行了测量与分析。实现了“之”字形光路板状激光器的高重复率运转,在50Hz时,输出能量约600mJ,平均功率30W。     

High beam quality and compact diode end-pumped Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> slab laser with a hybrid resonator

A compact, high power and high beam quality diode-end-pumped CW Nd:YVO₄ slab 1064 nm laser with a hybrid resonator is demonstrated. The maximum output power of 23.0 W is obtained under the pump power of 66.7 W, which gives the slope efficiency and optical conversion efficiency of 52.0 and 34.0%, respectively. The beam quality M² factors are measured to be 1.5 in the unstable direction and 1.7 in the stable direction. The power stability of the LD end-pumped slab laser at an output power of 19 W is measured to be 0.7% for half an hour operation.     

Investigation of a Cr: YAG passive Q-switch in CW pumped Nd: YAG lasers

This work describes the experimental results obtained on the Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystal used as a passive Q-switch in Nd: YAG lasers. In addition, the combination of a Cr⁴⁺: YAG passive Q-switch with an acousto-optical Q-switch operating simultaneously in one cavity was investigated. More than 180 W average output in the passive Q-switched mode was obtained with the C⁴⁺: YAG crystal. The pulse-to-pulse stability was better than 1%. A mode selection occurred when the laser system operated near threshold.     

Investigation into absorption of the incident laser beam during Nd:YAG laser processing of metals

Laser materials processing is highly affected by the existence of surface plasma. The absorption of surface plasma during drilling alters the power intensity distribution of the incident laser beam across the irradiated spot. The present study is carried out to measure the electron number density and temperature using a Langmuir probe while a mathematical formulation is conducted for the absorption coefficients due to electron-ion, electron-neutral atom collisions, inverse Bremsstrahlung, and photoionization processes. Consequently, a computer program is developed to compute the relevant absorption coefficients as well as the overall absorption coefficient. The laser power intensity distribution before and after the plasma absorption is computed at a plane 2.6 mm above the workpiece surface. It is found that 13% of the reduction occurs in the incident laser output power intensity at this plane in the plasma.     

Phase locking of two beams emitting from a side pumped Nd:YAG slab with self-imaging resonator

Intracavity phase locking of two beams emitting from a block of Nd:YAG medium side-pumped by laser diode array (LDA) was investigated experimentally. The interference fringes of the two beams occured at the output mirror. The coherent output power of 1.13 W was obtained with combination efficiency of 64.9% and coherence degree of about 60%. Only a metallic wire as a filter located at a suitable position close to the output mirror can efficiently lock the entire structure with less than 8% power loss.     

Output characteristics of a flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG laser at 1444 nm

An investigation of the output characteristics of Nd:YAG lasers operating at a wavelength of 1444 nm using a Xe-flashlamp of 450 Torr, a Xe-flashlamp of 700 Torr, and a Kr-flashlamp of 700 Torr is reported. The highest electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 1.83% was attained using the Kr-flashlamp of 700 Torr with a repetition rate of 20 Hz, a pumping pulse width of 144 μs, and an input energy of 31.7 J. The investigation concluded that output energy depends on the temperature of cooling water. The results showed a 3% decrease in output energy at an input energy of 31.7 J as the temperature of cooling water was increased from 23 to 38 °C.     

采用液态金属传热的小型大功率全固态Nd∶YAG板条激光器

 为了满足小型光电系统对微小型大功率激光器的研制要求,通过液态金属传热设计,提高散热效率,使得激光器在小体积下实现高能量输出。采用复合板条工作物质集成谐振腔以及激光放大技术,在激光电源电流80 A、工作频率为5 Hz时,激光器在1064 nm输出单脉冲能量为160 mJ,脉宽为6 ns,发散角为3 mrad的激光。     

Pulsed and cw Cr,Tm:YAG laser with simultaneous diode and flashlamp excitation

A Cr,Tm:YAG laser, under simultaneous flashlamp and diode laser excitation, was demonstrated. With respect to diode pumping a cw-output power of 35 W with a slope efficiency of 20% was achieved. With flashlamp excitation pulse energies up to 465 mJ were realised. This operation was supported by simultaneous diode pumping to bring the laser close to threshold. Repetition rates up to 10 Hz were demonstrated with this simultaneous pumping mode of the Cr,Tm:YAG laser crystal.     

Temperature characteristics of small signal gain for Nd/Cr:YAG ceramic lasers

Thermal dependence on the small signal gain of Nd/Cr:YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) ceramics was observed experimentally. Usually, Nd:YAG crystal and ceramics have remarkable gain reduction when optical pumping is performed and the temperature of the laser media is upped to 373 K. A CW laser light generated in a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser oscillator was amplified by Nd/Cr:YAG ceramic amplifier, and the output power was measured at non-saturation level. Laser small signal gain of the ceramic disk was kept to 470 K. This property was remarkably different from one of Nd:YAG crystals or ceramics. The peak shift of the fluorescence was observed experimentally when the temperature is high.