Fengjiang Zhuang

A compact efficient deep ultraviolet laser at 266 nm

We present a highly efficient and cost-effective watt-level deep-ultraviolet laser operating at 266 nm. Type-I phase-matching LBO crystals and type-I phase-matching BBO crystals were used for frequency doubling and fourth-harmonic generation, respectively. The highest 1.82 W average power of the 266 nm laser was obtained from nonlinear frequency conversion at a repetition rate of 30 kHz and a pump power of 18.8 W. The conversion efficiency from the diode to the deep-ultraviolet laser scales up to 10.7%. This is, to our knowledge, the highest efficiency ever reported generated from a laser diode single-end-pumped acousto-optic Q-switched system.

Multi-reflected enhancement of fourth harmonic DUV laser generation at 266 nm

The stable compact operation in the deep ultraviolet laser at 266 nm is reported from a diode-end-pumped acoustic-optic Q-switched Nd:YVO4/KTP/BBO laser. Fourth harmonic is generated by employing multiple reflections of 532 nm light for taking full advantage of the green beam. An ultraviolet laser at 266 nm with average power of 388.5 mW is obtained with a repetition-rate of 20 kHz, a pulse width of about 59.80 ns, and the corresponding optical to optical conversion efficiency of 11.9% from green to UV. High conversion efficiency and a circular spot of 266 nm laser beam have been achieved in an unfocused beam arrangement.

6.2 W diode-end-pumped 1313 nm Nd:YLF laser

We presented a compact and efficient diode-end-pumped 1313 nm Nd:YLF laser with an effective pump system and no additional insertion loss. The different thermal lensing effects along the π and σ polarizations in an a-cut Nd:YLF crystal were investigated. 6.2 W output power of the polarized 1313 nm laser was obtained at the absorbed pump power of 17.5 W, corresponding to the optical-optical efficiency of 35% and the slope efficiency of 41%.

Spectra and broad-spectral laser operation of a disordered Nd:LiLa(MoO4)2 crystal

The crystal characteristics of a disordered Nd:LiLa(MoO4)2 laser crystal were investigated in detail, including its structure, absorption, emission and Raman scattering spectra. Laser operation, end-pumped by an 808 nm diode laser, has been demonstrated in both a concave-plano and plane-parallel resonator cavity. A broad-spectral dual-peak laser emission at 1061 nm and 1060 nm with a full width at half maximum of 2 nm was obtained in the experiment. A maximum output power of 267 mW was obtained in the concave-plano cavity. However, in the plane-parallel cavity, laser output of 381 mW was obtained, giving a slope efficiency of 14.5%. The results lay the groundwork for Raman, mode-locked and tunable laser applications generated by a Nd:LiLa(MoO4)2 laser crystal.

Long pulse duration of the UV laser with a multi-reflected cavity: Experiment and modeling

The long pulse operation of ultraviolet (UV) laser attributed to multi-reflection is presented on an acousto-optic (AO) Q-switched ultraviolet laser system blocking green light inside a cavity. The ultraviolet laser with the highest average power of 456 mW is obtained with 20 kHz repetition-rate. The numerical simulation of UV pulse broadening was studied using Gaussian curve approximation. The conclusion suggests that the short multi-reflected cavity and high incident pump power will be beneficial to alleviate the width broadening effect. The results, for the first time, would provide the technology for controlling the pulse width of an AO Q-switched DUV laser.

Efficient end-pumped multi-wavelength laser operation of disordered Nd:LiGd(WO4)2 crystal

An efficient laser operation of disordered Nd:LiGd(WO4)2 laser crystal, end-pumped by a quasi-CW 808 nm diode laser, has been demonstrated in both free-running and actively Q-switched modes. Multi-wavelength emission around 1.06 μm was obtained simultaneously in this paper. In free-running status, 0.63 W laser output was obtained, giving a slope efficiency of 40.6%. When the repetition rate was 40 kHz in Q-switched operation, a maximum average output power of 0.43 W and a slope efficiency of 30.2% were obtained. This work indicated that Nd:LiGd(WO4)2 could be a promising laser crystal for THz, mode-locked and tunable laser applications.