Passive synchronization of two independent laser oscillators with a Fabry-Perot modulator

By optical modulation of the reflectivity of an intracavity nonlinear Fabry-Perot semiconductor mirror, the pulse train from a passively mode-locked picosecond Nd:YVO(4) laser oscillator is synchronized to an independent femtosecond-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. We obtain stable synchronized pulse trains at central wavelengths of 1064 and 850 nm, and the Ti:sapphire laser is still independently tunable over a large wavelength range. The tolerable cavity-length difference between the two laser oscillators exceeds 20mu;m .     

Self-starting mode-locked femtosecond forsterite laser with a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror

We report on a self-starting mode-locked femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser pumped by a diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) laser. The mode locking is initiated by a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror (SESAM). We also present the measured group delay of the forsterite crystal and the SESAM.     

高重复频率1.34μm调Q锁模Nd:YVO_4激光器

报道了基于V:YAG可饱和吸收体的1.34μm被动调Q锁模Nd:YVO4激光器。采用直腔结构,使用透过率为10%的输出镜,在LD端面泵浦的情况下,实现了重复频率高达2.6GHz的1.34μm调Q锁模运转。Nd:YVO4晶体中,Nd3+离子掺杂质量分数为0.2%,V:YAG晶体的初始透过率为83%。在泵浦功率为11 W时,1.34μm调Q锁模激光的最大平均输出功率为308mW,光-光转换效率为2.8%。     

Tunable mid-infrared MHz-rate picosecond pulses generated by optical parametric amplification of white-light continuum in GaSe

The output of a long-cavity 2 MHz all-solid-state Nd:YVO(4) picosecond oscillator with nonlinear optical mirror mode locking is used for direct pumping of an optical parametric amplifier seeded with white-light continuum generated in optical fiber by the same laser to generate tunable (5-12 microm) mid-IR radiation.     

Passively mode-locked 914-nm Nd:YVO4 laser

We demonstrate what is to our knowledge the first mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser operating on the 4F3/2-4I9/2 transition at 914 nm. Using a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror for passive mode locking, we have obtained 3-ps pulses at a repetition rate of 233.8 MHz. The laser is based on a standard delta cavity and is pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser. We obtained an average output power of 42 mW through one mirror and an accumulated output power of approximately 150 mW (through all cavity mirrors) at a pump power of 1.4 W.     

Grazing-incidence YVO4-Nd:YVO4 composite thin slab laser with low thermo-optic aberrations

We present a novel grazing-incidence composite thin slab laser (CTSL) with an almost aberration-free gain medium. The laser consists of a 260-microm thin Nd:YVO4 plate that is diffusion bonded to an undoped YVO4 slab. The Nd:YVO4 plate is cooled at just one side, suppressing temperature gradients that would induce wave-front distortions in the laser field. The pump light of a noncollimated diode bar is directly coupled into the undoped YVO4 slab and guided by total internal reflection to the attached Nd:YVO4 plate. Since any pump-beam-shaping optics can be omitted, the laser is simple and compact. We obtained transverse multimode optical output powers of 14 and 9.3 W with M2 < or = 1.3.     

Theoretical analysis of the effect of coating polarization on the second harmonic generation of an Nd:YVO4/KTP laser

Jones calculus is used to analyze the effect of the polarization characteristics of the output mirror coating of a V-shaped Nd:YVO4/KTP laser on the second harmonic generation. The reflection-induced phase retardance (RIPR) of the coating can quench the second harmonic generation. When the optical axis of Nd:YVO4 makes a π/4 angle with the incident plane of the output mirror and the fast axis of KTP in the incident plane, the RIPR induced reduction of coupling factor of the second harmonic generation is less than 1% if the phase retardance is smaller than 25°. If the polarization direction of the fundamental wave coincides with the eigen-polarization directions of the incident plane, the effect of the reflection-induced phase retardance on the conversing efficiency can be avoided.     

Passively mode-locked grown-together composite YVO4 /Nd:YVO4 crystal laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror under 880-nm direct pumping

A passively mode-locked grown-together composite YVO 4 /Nd:YVO 4 crystal laser is demonstrated with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror by 880-nm laser-diode direct pumping.Under the absorbed pump power of 24.9 W,a maximum output power of 10.5 W at the repetition rate of 77 MHz is obtained,corresponding to the optical-optical conversion efficiency of 42.1% and the slope efficiency of 53.4%.The pulse width measured is 33 ps at the output power of 10 W.     

高功率准连续激光二极管抽运的Nd：YVO4激光器

对高功率准连续激光二极管端面抽运的Nd:YVO4固体激光器进行了实验研究。研究了抽运功率、温度、重复率及输出镜的透过率对激光器输出功率的影响。当激光二极管重复率达到720Hz、抽动功率33.2W时,激光输出最大平均功率为11W。     

532-nm picosecond pulse generated in a passively mode-locked Nd:YVO_4 laser

A diode-pumped continuous-wave （CW） mode-locked Nd：YVO4/KTP green laser with semiconductor saturable absorber mirror （SESAM） is demonstrated. The maximum output power of CW mode-locked green laser is obtained to be 552 mW at the incident pump power of 7.25 W, corresponding to an opticai-optical conversion efficiency of about 7.6%. The 532-nm CW mode-locked pulse duration is estimated to be about 8.4 ps with the repetition rate of 87 MHz.     

Diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser at 914 nm

We demonstrate, for the first time, to our knowledge, a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser, operating on the 4F(3/2)-4I(9/2) transition of the neodymium ion at 914 nm. We obtained 8.8 ps pulses at approximately 914 nm at a repetition rate of 94 MHz, and an averaged output power of 87 mW by using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror.     

大功率激光二极管抽运Nd：YVO4激光器的特性研究

通过对Ｎｄ：ＹＶＯ４晶体吸收特性的研究,对激光输出功率、斜效率与抽运动率的关系进行了理论分析,发现Ｎｄ：ＹＶＯ４激光器在磊功率激光二极管抽运的条件下,激光斜效率随抽运功率的增加而减小。实验表明,理论结果与实验符合得较好。选用２Ｎｄ＾３＋掺杂的原子数分数为０．５％、通光长度为５ｍｍ的Ｎｄ：ＹＶＯ４晶体,在抽运功率５Ｗ左右时,输功率为３Ｗ左右的,获得了７１．５％的激光斜效率。     

An efficient and high polarized single cavity Nd:YVO4 microchip laser

An efficient and high polarized microchip green laser with dual Nd:YVO4 crystals is reported. The microchip includes a half-monolithic Nd:YVO4-KTP chip and a second Nd:YVO4 crystal. With two 1 W diode lasers pumped, the output power of TEM₀₀ green laser is 430 mW, and the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is nearly 21.5 %, when the c-axes of second Nd:YVO4 crystal rotated to 90° from the half-monolithic chip, the polarization ratio of output green laser is 130:1. This laser has the advantages of being simple and easily attainable at a low cost, and suitable for batch production.     

Suppression of the intensity noise of a laser-diode-pumped single-frequency ring Nd:YVO(4)-KTP green laser by optoelectronic feedback

We investigate the different characteristics of the intensity noise of a laser-diode-pumped single-frequency ring Nd:YVO (4) laser and a Nd:YVO (4)-KTP green laser. By use of an optoelectronic feedback circuit connected directly to the pump current of the laser diode, the low-frequency intensity noise of the intracavity frequency doubler was suppressed to some extent.     

Passively Q-switched 1.34- mum Nd:YVO(4) microchip laser with semiconductor saturable-absorber mirrors

We demonstrate a passively Q -switched diode-pumped 1.34- microm Nd:YVO(4) microchip laser. We achieved single-frequency, 230-ps pulses by using an InGaAsP semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror. We can vary the pulse width and the repetition rate from 230ps to 12ns and from 30 kHz to 4 MHz, respectively, by changing the design parameters of the saturable absorber, the thickness of the crystal, and the pump power.     

连续锁模Nd：YVO4激光器实现1 GHz高频输出

LD抽运全固体Nd:YVO4激光器在连续锁模状态运转下获得了高达1 GHz的重复频率.实验中采用半导体可饱和吸收镜作为锁模元件.利用透过率只有0.8%的输出镜以及可获得较小抽运光斑的2 W LD作为抽运源来优化激光器设计,有效地抑制了调Q锁模状态的运转.低的激光器振荡阈值（35 mW）和连续锁模阈值(0.8 W)显示了饱和吸收体低的插入损耗和激光器合理的设计.在最大抽运1.6 W时获得了210 mW的平均输出功率.     

High-power diode-pumped picosecond Nd(3+):YVO(4) laser

A diode-pumped Nd(3+):YVO(4) laser passively mode locked by a nonlinear mirror based on second-harmonic generation has been developed. Pumping with a fiber-coupled 10-W diode array, we generated nearly diffraction limited, linearly polarized 11-ps pulses at 1064nm, with average power of 2.7 W at a 150-MHz repetition rate. Pulses as short as 7.9 ps were measured with reduced output power (1.35 W) by optimal focusing in the nonlinear crystal.     

Intracavity gain gratings

Intracavity gain gratings are theoretically demonstrated to exhibit diffraction efficiencies that are 100 times larger than unity at pump powers substantially below the lasing threshold. Experiments performed using a Nd:YVO4 microlaser pumped below threshold by two interfering Ti:sapphire laser beams are described. Huge enhancement of the diffraction efficiency (5000X) and a large increase of the angular selectivity (10X) are demonstrated despite the angular reduction of the Fabry-Perot cavity finesse. Much better results are expected using gain gratings with larger areas or thinner cavities such as vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers. Such large fan-out values could be very interesting for applications to optical signal processing.     

激光二极管端面抽运Nd:YVO4实现1386 nm连续波激光输出

在Nd:YVO4晶体的4F3/2-4I13/2跃迁带内,除了1342 nm激光辐射之外,其它的跃迁谱线由于小的受激发射截面和强的寄生振荡,很难形成激光振荡.通过调整谐振腔损耗,获得了光纤耦合激光二极管端面抽运1386 nmNd:YVO4激光器激光连续输出.在抽运功率达到4.24 W时,得到了305 mW的1386 nm激光连续输出,最高输出功率下的斜效率为13.9%.实验中还观察到了1342 nm和1386 nm的双波长运转.根据抽运阈值能量和实验数据,计算得到了Nd:YVO4晶体中1386 nm激光辐射处的受激发射截面大约为(3±1)×10-19cm2.     

Efficient generation of continuous-wave yellow light by single-pass sum-frequency mixing of a diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) dual-wavelength laser with periodically poled lithium niobate

We report efficient generation of cw yellow light by use of single-pass sum-frequency mixing from a diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) dual-wavelength laser with periodically poled lithium niobate. A diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) dual-wavelength laser is implemented with a three-mirror cavity, and the optimum oscillation condition is obtained from theoretical analysis. We extracted 78 mW of power at 593 nm from 1.2 W at 1064 nm and from 1.0 W at 1342 nm in a beam with excellent quality. The output power could probably be increased to ~92 mW by antireflection coating of the crystal.