Nd:YAG陶瓷与单晶4F3/2–4I13/2跃迁的弱谱线多波长激光性能对比

报道了基于半导体激光端面抽运Nd:YAG的⁴F_3/2–⁴I_13/2 跃迁的弱谱线多波长激光输出. 实验对比了透明陶瓷与单晶材料的激光输出特性, 表明透明陶瓷和单晶材料荧光谱强度的略微差异, 导致了多波长输出时相同两个波长之间的激光强度比在两种材料中的差异. 基于两种耦合输出镜片, 激光阈值都在2 W左右. 在13.5 W的抽运功率下, 基于Nd:YAG透明陶瓷获得了输出功率4.05 W、强度比1 :2的1338与1356 nm双波长激光和输出功率3.65 W、强度比13 : 1的1356与1414 nm 双波长激光, 斜率效率分别达33.9% 和31.9%.     

Growth and laser properties of Nd:Ca4YO(BO3)3 crystal

Nd:Ca₄YO(BO₃)₃ (Nd:YCOB) crystal was grown by the Czochralski method, and its structure was measured by using a four circle X-ray diffractometer. The transparent spectrum from 200 to 2600 nm was measured at room temperature. The fluorescence spectrum near 1.06 μm showed that the main emission wavelength of Nd:YCOB crystal was centered at 1060.8 nm. Laser output at 1.06 μm has been demonstrated when it was pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser at the wavelength of 794 nm, the highest output power was 68 mW under pumping power of 311 mW, the pumping threshold was 163 mW and slope efficiency was 46.9%. The self-frequency doubled green light has been observed when it was pumped by a Ti:sapphire or a laser diode (LD). A 14.5 mm Nd:YCOB crystal sample cut at (θ, φ)=(90°, 33°) was used for type I second-frequency generation (SHG) of the 1.06 μm laser pulse. The SHG conversion efficiency was 22%.     

A 4.8-W M^2 = 4.6 Continuous-Wave Intracavity Sum-Frequency Diode-Pumped Solid-State Yellow Laser

A yellow continuous wave with beam quality M^2= 4.6 and output power of 4.8 W at 589nm is generated by intracavity sum-frequency mixing of 1064 nm and 1319 nm radiations of a Nd：YAG laser. To achieve high beam quality at high power, thermally near-unstable flat-flat resonators with two-rod birefringence compensation are designed to obtain the large fundamental mode size inside the Nd：YAG rods and the same beam width inside the KTP crystal. The optimal intracavity power ratio of both 1064nm and 1319nm beams is also considered. The output power fluctuation of the yellow laser remains less than 5% in four hours.     

Investigation of Nd:YVO4/YVO4 composite crystal and its laser performance pumped by a fiber coupled diode laser

Thermal effect control is critical to scale the output power of diode end-pumping solid lasers to several watts up and beyond. Diffusion bonding crystal has been demonstrated to be an effective method to relieve the thermal lens for the end-pumping laser crystal. The temperature distribution and thermal lens in Nd:YVO₄/YVO₄ composite crystal was numerically analyzed and compared with that of Nd:YVO4 crystal in this paper. The end-pumping Nd:YVO₄/YVO₄ composite crystal laser was set up and tested with z cavity. The maximum output power of 9.87 W at 1064 nm and 6.14 W at 532 nm were obtained at the pumping power of 16.5 W. The highest optical-optical conversion efficiencies were up to 60% at 1064 nm and 40% at 532 nm, respectively.     

Laser characteristics of a new crystal Nd:Sr5(PO4)3F at 1.059 μm

The absorption spectrum of a new crystal Nd : Sr₅(PO₄)₃F or Nd : S-FAP, was measured, its two strong absorption peaks and broad effective absorption band showed that Nd : S-FAP can be appropriately pumped at 575 nm and 805.4 nm as well as with a xenon flashlamp. By using a tunable dye-laser (570.0~600.0 nm), a laser-diode (805 nm) and a xenon flash lamp as pump sources, respectively, the performance of a low threshold and high efficiency Nd:S-FAP laser at 1.059 (μm) (including pulse run, cw run, free-run and Q-switch run) has been demonstrated. The laser characteristics, such as the emission spectrum, the output energy, the output power, the pulse width, etc, were measured. In addition, the prospect of a Nd:S-FAP crystal for low-threshold high-efficiency miniature lasers is discussed.     

激光二极管端面抽运的1342nmNd：YVO4激光器

报道了用高功率线列阵光纤耦合激光二极管端面抽运的１３４２ｎｍＤｄ：ＹＶＯ４激光器,在１３．３０Ｗ输入抽运功率下,１３４２ｎｍ激光输出功率达到３．２２Ｗ,斜效率为２５．５％。输出功率不稳定度小于１％。     

Characteristics of Nd：GdVO4 Laser with Different Nd-Doping Concentrations

We report the properties of a compact diode-pumped continuous-wave Nd：GdV04 laser with a linear cavity and different Nd-doped laser crystals. In a 0.2at.% Nd-doped Nd：GdVO4 laser, 1.54 W output laser power is achieved at 912nm wavelength with a slope efficiency of 24.8% at an absorbed pump power of 9.4W. With 0.3at.% Nd-doping concentration, we can obtain the either single-wavelength emission at 1064nm or 912nm or the dual-wavelength emission at 1064nm and 912nm by controlling the incident pump power. From an incident pump power of 11.6 W, the 1064nm emission between ^4Fa/2 and ^4I11/2 is suppressed completely by the 912nm emission between ^4Fa/2 and ^4I9/2. We obtain 670 mW output of the 912nm single-wavelength laser emission with a slope efficiency of 5.5% by taking an incident pump power of 18.4 W. Using a Nd：GdV04 laser with 0.4at.% Nd-doping concentration, we obtain either the single-wavelength emission at 1064nm or the dual-wavelength emission at both 1064nm and 912nm by increasing the incident pump power. We observe a strong competition process in the dualavelength laser.     

Oscillation conditions of cw simultaneous dual-wavelength Nd：YAG laser for transitions 4F3／2-4I9／2 and 4F3／2-4I11／2

The operating condition of a cw simultaneous dual-wavelength Nd:YAG laser for both {}^4F_{3/2}-{}^4I_{9/2} (quasi-three-level system) and {}^4F_{3/2}-{}^4I_{11/2}(four-level system) transitions is studied. According to this condition, the cw simultaneous dual-wavelength at 1.06μm and 946 nm in Nd:YAG crystal has been realized experimentally through an adaptive coating design of the cavity mirrors. A total power output of 2.5W of the dual-wavelength at 946nm and 1.06μm has been achieved with an optical conversion efficiency 14.3%. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical analysis.     

High power diode-side-pumped rod Nd:GdVO4 laser

A compact high power diode-side-pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser has been presented, which can generate an output power of 52 W at 1.063-μm for continuous-wave (CW) operation. The absorption characteristics of the Nd:GdVO₄ in different pump directions is measured, which were used to optimize the diode-side-pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser head. The laser characteristics of both CW and Q-switched Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YAG in are compared and it was found that Nd:GdVO₄ may surpass Nd:YAG for high power laser application.     

Efficient Nd:Y0.5Gd0.5VO4-KTiOPO4 green laser under diode pumping into the emitting level 4F3/2

We report a green laser at 532 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave (cw) laser operation of a 1064 nm Nd:Y_0.5Gd_0.5VO₄ laser under diode pumping into the emitting level ⁴ F _3/2. A KTiOPO₄ (KTP) crystal, cut for critical type-II phase matching at room temperature is used for second harmonic generation (SHG) of the laser. At an incident pump power of 17.8 W, as high as 4.21 W of cw output power at 532 nm is achieved. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 23.6%, and the fluctuation of the green output power was better than 2.8% in the given 30 min.     

A comparative study of continuous laser operation on the F3/2-I9/2 transitions of Nd:GdVO4 and Nd:YVO4 crystals

A comparative study of Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YVO₄ crystal lasers pumped by a fiber-coupled diode array has been conducted at the ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transitions wavelengths of 912 nm and 914 nm, as well as when intracavity frequency-doubled to 456 nm and 457 nm, respectively. At the fundamental wavelength of 912 nm and second harmonic wavelength of 456 nm, maximum output powers from the Nd:GdVO₄ crystal laser were 7.85 W and 4.6 W at a pump power of 29 W. All the results obtained from Nd:GdVO₄ were superior to those of Nd:YVO₄, indicating that Nd:GdVO₄ is a more efficient laser crystal than Nd:YVO₄ for laser operation on the ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transitions.     

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser at 1342 nm with V:YAG saturable absorber

We have demonstrated an efficient diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO₄ laser working at 1342 nm by using an uncoated V³⁺:YAG crystal as the saturable absorber, in which both a-cut and c-cut Nd:GdVO₄ crystals are employed. At the maximum absorbed pump power of 9.45 W, the maximum average output power can reach 519 mW and 441 mW corresponding to the output coupler with different transmission of 3% and 10% by using an a-cut Nd:GdVO₄ crystal at 1342 nm, while the shortest pulse duration could be as low as 21.7 ns and 22.3 ns with the repetition rate of 48.41 kHz and 53.25 kHz by using a c-cut Nd:GdVO₄ crystal, corresponding to the output coupler with different transmission of 3% and 10% at 1342 nm, and the single Q-switched pulse energy are 6.67 uJ and 7.06 uJ, the pulse peak power are 307 W and 316 W, respectively. The experimental results show that c-cut Nd:GdVO₄ laser can generate shorter pulse with higher peak power in comparison with a-cut one.     

Diode-pumped Nd:BaY2F8 picosecond laser

Picosecond pulse generation at 1050 nm by a diode-pumped Nd:BaY₂F₈ (Nd:BaYF) active crystal has been investigated under low-power pumping (440 mW absorbed). The sample was oriented along the optical axes and cut at Brewster angle for y-axis laser polarization to minimize birefringence effects. Stable passive mode-locking operation has been achieved by inverse saturable absorption with 80-mW output power and 3.7-ps pulses.     

A Laser-Diode End-Pumped Nd:YVO4 Slab Laser at 1342nm

A laser-diode end-pumped Nd：YVO4 slab laser with a fiat-concave stable cavity at 1342nm is demonstrated. Under the pumping power of 92 W, a cw laser of output 17.8 W is obtained with the slope efficiency of 25.6%.     

High Power Continuous-Wave and Acousto-Optic Q-Switched Nd：GdVO4 Laser Operated at 912 nm

We present a high power and efficient operation of the ^4F3/2 → ^4I9/2 transition in Nd：GdVO4 at 912nm. In the cw mode, the maximum output power of 8.6 W is achieved when the incident pump power is 40.3 W, leading to a slope efficiency of 33.3% and an optical-optical efficiency of 21.3%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest cw laser power at 912nm obtained with the conventional Nd：GdVO4 crystal. Pulsed operation of 912nm laser has also been realized by inserting a small aeousto-optie （A-O） Q-Switch inside the resonator. As a result, the minimal pulse width of 20ns and the average laser power 1.43 W at the repetition rate of lOkHz are obtained, corresponding to 7.1 kW peak power. We believe that this is the highest laser peak power at 912nm. Furthermore, duration of 65ns has also been acquired when the repetition rate is 100 kHz.     

Continuous-wave high-power multi-pass pumped thin-disc Nd:GdVO4 laser

A thin-disc Nd:GdVO₄ laser in multi-pass pumping scheme was developed. Continuous-wave output power of 13.9 W at 1.06 μm for an absorbed power at 808 nm of 22 W was demonstrated from a 250-μm thick, 0.5-at.% Nd:GdVO₄ in a 4-pass pumping; the slope efficiency in absorbed power was 0.65, or 0.47 in input power. Output performances were also investigated under diode laser pumping at 879 nm, directly into the emitting ⁴F_3/2 level: maximum power of 3.6 W was obtained at 6.2 W of absorbed power with 0.69 slope efficiency. Compared with pumping at 808 nm, into the highly absorbing ⁴F_5/2 level, improvements of laser parameter in absorbed power (increase of slope efficiency, decrease of threshold) were obtained, showing the advantages of the pumping into the emitting level. However, the laser performances expressed vs. the incident power were modest owing to the low absorption efficiency at 879 nm. Thus, increased number of passes of the medium would be necessary in order to match the performances in input power obtained under 808-nm pumping.     

Nd:YVO4自受激拉曼激光器调Q锁模特性

利用Nd:YVO4激光晶体的自受激拉曼效应,结合Cr:YAG被动锁模技术和倍频技术,实现了结构紧凑的1176 nm和588 nm黄光锁模激光输出。激光器为LD端面泵浦,三镜折叠腔结构,并且采用了透过率为10%的输出镜。Nd:YVO4晶体长度为10 mm,Nd3+离子掺杂质量分数为0.2%,Cr:YAG晶体的初始透过率为67%。10 W激光泵浦时,1176 nm激光平均输出功率为123 mW,调Q包络宽度为6 ns,调Q包络内的锁模脉冲重复频率高达1 GHz。588.2 nm 黄光的平均输出功率为8 mW。     

555 nm laser sources based on intracavity frequency doubling of Nd:YGG laser

We report for the first time a yellow-green laser at 555 nm generation by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous wave (CW) laser operation of a 1110 nm Nd-doped yttrium gallium garnet (Nd:YGG) laser under in-band diode pumping at 808 nm. An LBO crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching is used for second harmonic generation of the laser. At an incident pump power of 18.5 W, as high as 2.31 W of CW output power at 555 nm is achieved. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is up to 12.4%, and the fluctuation of the yellow-green output power was better than 2.8% in the given 4 h.     

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:LuVO4 laser at 916 nm

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched Nd:LuVO₄ laser at 916 nm by using a Nd, Cr:YAG crystal as the saturable absorber. As we know, it is the first time to realize the laser with a simple linear resonator. When the incident pump power increased from 14.6 W to 23.7 W, the pulse width of the Q-switched laser decreased from 24 ns to 21 ns. The pulse width was insensitive to the incident pump power in the experiment. The average output power of 288 mW with repetition rate of 39 kHz was obtained at an incident pump power of 22.5 W, with the optical-to-optical efficiency and slope efficiency 1.3% and 3.6%, respectively.     

Simultaneous dual-wavelength CW operation using F3/2–I13/2 transitions in Nd:YVO4 crystal

We experimentally demonstrate a dual-wavelength continuous wave (CW) Nd:YVO₄ laser simultaneously operating at 1342 and 1386 nm. A total output power of 439 mW is achieved when the laser is diode-end-pumped at an incident pump power of 2.4 W, indicating a slope efficiency of 35.6%. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that simultaneous dual-wavelength CW operation at 1342 and 1386 nm is reported.