Daniel Creeden

Mid-infrared ZnGeP 2 parametric oscillator directly pumped by a pulsed 2 μm Tm-doped fiber laser

We have demonstrated what we believe to be the first mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped directly by a pulsed Tm-doped fiber laser. The Tm-fiber pump laser produces 30 ns pulses with a repetition rate of 30 kHz at a wavelength of 2 μm. The ZnGeP2 (ZGP) OPO produces 20 ns mid-IR pulses in the 3.4-3.9 μm and 4.1-4.7 μm spectral regions simultaneously. More than 658 mW of mid-IR output power has been generated with a total OPO slope efficiency greater than 35%.

Compact, high average power, fiber-pumped terahertz source for active real-time imaging of concealed objects

We have modeled and demonstrated a scalable, compact, fiber-pumped terahertz source based on difference frequency mixing (DFM) in zinc germanium phosphide (ZGP) capable of producing high average and peak-power pulses. Currently, our terahertz source produces 2 mW of average THz power and >40 W of peak power with sub-nanosecond pulses at a repetition rate of 100 kHz in the range of 2-3 THz without cryogenic cooling or ultra-fast optics. This high average power laser-based terahertz output enables the real-time imaging of concealed objects using an off-the-shelf uncooled microbolometer focal-plane array. With this THz system, we have imaged objects obscured inside in a common shipping envelope, demonstrating the potential of compact laser-based terahertz sources for use in security screening applications.

Resonantly pumped Tm-doped fiber laser with >90% slope efficiency.

We have demonstrated what we believe is the highest slope efficiency reported for a Tm-doped fiber laser operating in the 2-micron spectral region. Using a 1908 nm Tm-doped fiber laser as an in-band pump source, we generated 1.43 W of output power at 2005 nm with 81.25% optical efficiency and 90.2% slope efficiency, with respect to launched pump power. This resonant-pumping approach allowed us to examine the bleaching effects in Tm-doped fiber under resonant pumping. We also analytically show that this pumping method can scale to high power levels while maintaining high efficiency.

Advances in nonlinear optical crystals for mid-infrared coherent sources

Advances in growth of the birefringent crystals ZnGeP2 and CdSiP2, as well as all-epitaxial processing of orientation-patterned semiconductors GaAs (OP-GaAs) and GaP (OP-GaP), are extending solid-state laser output deep into the mid-infrared. These materials exhibit the highest nonlinear coefficients and broadest infrared transparency ranges among all practical nonlinear optical crystals. In this review paper we describe the attractive properties of these materials, along with the unique capabilities and novel crystal growth and processing that continue to provide record-breaking conversion efficiencies and output powers in the mid-infrared.

High power resonant pumping of Tm-doped fiber amplifiers in core- and cladding-pumped configurations

We have demonstrated ultra-high efficiency amplification in Tm-doped fiber with both core- and cladding-pumped configurations using a resonant tandem-pumping approach. These Tm-doped fiber amplifiers are pumped in-band with a 1908 nm Tm-doped fiber laser and operate at 1993 nm with >90% slope efficiency. In a core-pumped configuration, we have achieved 92.1% slope efficiency and 88.4% optical efficiency at 41 W output power. In a cladding-pumped configuration, we have achieved 123.1 W of output power with 90.4% optical efficiency and a 91.6% slope efficiency. We believe these are the highest optical efficiencies achieved in a Tm-doped fiber amplifier operating in the 2-micron spectral region.

Compact Fiber-Pumped Terahertz Source Based on Difference Frequency Mixing in ZGP

We have demonstrated a novel terahertz source based on dual-wavelength amplification in polarization maintaining Yb- doped fiber and frequency mixing in a zinc germanium phosphide (ZGP) crystal. The system consists of two orthogonally polarized signals, whose difference frequency is in the terahertz region, amplified in a single all-fiber amplifier chain and mixed in a ZGP crystal to generate high-peak-power terahertz radiation. Currently, 2 mW of average terahertz power (20 W peak, 20 nJ/pulse) has been produced at a repetition rate of 100 kHz and pulsewidths of 1 ns with a conversion efficiency of 0.137%. We have also developed a terahertz mixing model, which coincides well with our experimental data.

Pulsed Tm-doped fiber lasers for mid-IR frequency conversion

Fiber lasers are an ideal pump source for nonlinear frequency conversion because they have the capability to generate short pulses with high peak-powers and excellent beam quality. Thulium-doped silica fibers allow for pulse generation and amplification in the 2-micron spectral band. This opens the door to a variety of nonlinear crystals, such as ZnGeP2 (ZGP) and orientation patterned GaAs (OPGaAs), which cannot be pumped by Yb- or Er-doped fiber laser directly due to high losses in the near-IR band. These crystals combine low losses with high nonlinearities and transparency for efficient nonlinear mid-IR converters. Using such nonlinear crystals and a pulsed Tm-doped master oscillator fiber amplifier (MOFA), we have demonstrated efficient mid-IR generation with watts of output power in the 3-5μm region. The Tm-doped MOFA is capable of generating from 10 to 100W of average output power at a variety of repetition rates (10kHz - >500kHz) and pulse widths (10ns - >100ns). Total mid-IR power is only limited by thermal effects in the nonlinear materials. The use of Tm-doped fiber-pumped OPOs shows the path toward compact, efficient, and lightweight mid-IR laser systems.

Real-time terahertz imaging system for the detection of concealed objects

A terahertz imaging system and method of use including a compact Yb-doped fiber laser-pumped ZGP crystal as a THz source and an uncooled microbolometer array as a detector. According to the present invention, semiconductor lasers are also drive current modulated to produce desired laser pulsewidth, repetition rate and wavelengths needed for DFG THz generation in various non-linear crystals. The fiber-coupled semiconductor lasers provide at least two wavelengths that will produce THz radiation by DFG in non-linear converter. These two wavelengths are combined and amplified in a single Yb fiber amplifier chain. Yb amplifier is staged in continually increasing core diameters to provide significant signal amplification while suppressing deleterious non-linear effects.

Multi-watt mid-IR fiber-pumped OPO

We have demonstrated a multi-watt mid-IR ZGP OPO pumped by a pulsed Tm-doped fiber laser operating at 1.995 um. 2 W of total mid-IR output power has been generated in the 3.4-3.9 mum and 4.0-4.7 mum spectral regions simultaneously.

Thulium fiber laser-pumped mid-IR OPO

Fiber lasers are advancing rapidly due to their ability to generate stable, efficient, and diffraction-limited beams with significant peak and average powers. This is of particular interest as fibers provide an ideal pump source for driving parametric processes. Most nonlinear optical crystals which provide phase-matching to the mid-IR at commercially available fiber pump wavelengths suffer from high absorption above 4μm, resulting in low conversion efficiencies in the 4-5μm spectral region. The nonlinear optical crystals which combine low absorption in this same spectral region with high nonlinear gain require pumping at longer wavelengths (typically >1.9μm). In this paper, we report a novel mid-IR OPO pumped by a pulsed thulium-doped fiber laser operating at 2-microns. The eyesafe thulium-fiber pump laser generates >3W of average power at >30kHz repetition rate with 15-30ns pulses in a near diffraction-limited beam. The ZnGeP2 (ZGP) OPO produces tunable mid-IR output power in the 3.4-3.99μm (signal) and the 4.0-4.7μm (idler) spectral regions in both singly resonant (SRO) and doubly resonant (DRO) formats. The highest mid-IR output power achieved from this system was 800mW with 20% conversion efficiency at 40kHz. In a separate experiment, the 3W of 2-micron light was further amplified to the 20W level. This amplified output was also used to pump a ZGP OPO, resulting in 2W of output power in the mid-IR. To our knowledge, these are the first demonstrations of a fiber-pumped ZGP OPO.