Optical microscopy imaging and image-analysis issues in laser cleaning

In earlier work we characterised single-pulse laser cleaning of medium-density (areal coverage 10–20%) alumina particles from glass surfaces with three different lasers. The method of measuring particle-removal efficiency involves optical microscopy imaging (digital) and subsequent image analysis of the area covered by, and/or the number of, particles before and after the single-pulse laser cleaning treatment. The sample-preparation technique used leads to both single particles and agglomerates on the surface. The issues of depth of focus in the imaging and grey-scale thresholding in the image analysis of such samples, with a range of particle and agglomerate sizes, has been systematically investigated. A protocol for optimum imaging and illumination of such samples is described herein. It has been developed based on the results of a systematic investigation of the effect of the image focal plane position relative to the surface also described herein. The image analysis to quantify the particles on the surface involves a judgement of the best threshold grey-scale level in the image to define the boundary between particles and background substrate. A quantitative appraisal of the impact on the laser cleaning efficiency results of a threshold grey-scale level that is set too high or too low, and how these results compare with those obtained for the best-judgement threshold grey-scale level, has been completed. PACS 81.65.Cf; 42.62.Cf; 42.70.Ce     

Characteristics of copper HyBrID-type lasers which use HCl reactive gas

We have investigated the output behaviour of a low temperature HyBrID-type copper laser operating with a flowing Ne–HCl reactive gas mixture. 15.5 W of average power was observed from a 19 mm bore device at 23 kHz PRF corresponding to a specific output power of 78 mW/cm3. The output power was 20–30% lower than that of the same device operating with an Ne–HBr mixture; however, it markedly exceeds the output of similar sized elemental copper vapour lasers (with or without hydrogen additive). This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Optical field dynamics in a wavelength-versatile, all-solid-state intracavity cascaded pulsed Raman laser

Monitoring the optical field energies in an intracavity cascaded crystalline pulsed Raman laser enables us to probe the dynamics and optimise the performance of the laser, which produces up to 2.1 W average output power at 4 wavelengths between 532 and 636 nm selectable by simple angle tuning.     

Discretely tunable, all-solid-state laser in the green, yellow, and red

We report an all-solid-state intracavity Raman laser with intracavity nonlinear sum-frequency generation providing visible output wavelengths selected from second harmonics and sum frequencies of the fundamental and Stokes fields. The laser comprises a diode end-pumped Nd:YAG laser, an acousto-optic Q switch, a KGd(WO4)2 Raman crystal, and a lithium borate nonlinear converter in a resonator designed to accommodate dynamic thermal lensing. For 20 W of pump power, output powers up to 1.8 W are demonstrated at wavelengths of 532, 555, 579, and 606 nm, selectable by angle and temperature tuning of the nonlinear medium.     

Solid-state Raman laser generating discretely tunable ultraviolet between 266 and 320 nm

We report a KGd(WO(4))(2) Raman laser pumped by a 532 nm laser that uses the intracavity nonlinear second harmonic and sum-frequency mixing of the Stokes and fundamental fields in beta-barium borate to generate selectable output among eight output wavelengths over the range 266-320 nm. Output pulse energies of up to 0.22 mJ at 10 Hz pulse repetition rate and average output powers up to 48 mW at 5 kHz were achieved.     

Continuous-wave wavelength conversion for high-power applications using an external cavity diamond Raman laser

We demonstrate continuous-wave (cw) operation of a diamond Raman laser at 1240 nm in an external cavity configuration. The output power increased linearly with pump power with a 49.7% slope efficiency and reached 10.1 W at the maximum available pump power of 31 W. The combination of resonator design with diamond provides a novel approach to power-scalable cw wavelength and beam conversion.     

Microstructured polymer fiber laser

A microstructured polymer optical fiber doped with Rhodamine 6G dye was fabricated and demonstrated as an optical amplifier and a fiber laser. As an amplifier, the fiber achieved a gain in excess of 30 dB. As a pulsed fiber laser, the fiber exhibited a threshold of 20 microJ, a slope efficiency of 18%, and a lifetime as high as 130,000 shots at 10 Hz. The maximum output energy was 16 microJ. The advantages that such fibers offer lie in the simplicity and flexibility of their fabrication and in their potential for use as compact, tunable solid-state sources.     

1240 nm diamond Raman laser operating near the quantum limit

An external-cavity diamond Raman laser generating up to 2.0 W at 1240 nm from 3.3 W of 1064 nm pump power is investigated as a function of pump polarization direction. The maximum conversion efficiency was 61%, and the slope efficiency of 84% closely approaches the quantum limit of 85.8%. The lowest threshold for Raman lasing is achieved for pump polarization parallel to the <111> axis, which we show is consistent with theory.     

Efficient Raman frequency conversion of high‐power fiber lasers in diamond

We report high‐power frequency conversion of a Yb‐doped fiber laser using a double‐pass pumped external‐cavity diamond Raman oscillator. Pumping with circular polarization is shown to be efficient while facilitating high‐power optical isolation between the pump and Raman laser. We achieved continuous‐wave average power of 154 W with a conversion efficiency of 50.5% limited by backward‐amplified light in the fiber laser. In order to prove further scalability, we achieved a maximum steady‐state Raman‐shifted output of 381 W with 61% conversion efficiency and excellent beam quality using 10 ms pump pulses, approximately a thousand times longer than the transient thermal time‐constant. No power saturation or degradation in beam quality is observed. The results challenge the present understanding of heat deposition in Raman crystals and foreshadow prospects for reduced thermal effects in diamond than originally anticipated. We also report the first experimental evidence for stimulated Brillouin scattering in diamond.

     

Side-pumped crystalline Raman laser

A crystalline Raman laser is pumped at 90° to the Raman laser axis by a single pass from a line-focused 532 nm pump laser of pulse duration 10 ns. The Raman laser threshold was 6.1 mJ, and at 12 mJ pump energy, a maximum output energy of 2.7 mJ was obtained with a slope efficiency of 46%. The threshold pump intensity is within a factor of 2 of the same device when end-pumped. The results highlight significant potential for coherent beam conversion and combination with enhanced degrees of flexibility and increased power.