P. Raybaut

Diode-pumped Yb:Sr(3)Y(BO(3))(3) femtosecond laser.

We have developed a diode-pumped Yb(3+)Sr(3)Y(BO(3))(3) (Yb:BOYS) laser generating 69-fs pulses, at a central wavelength of 1062 nm. This laser is mode locked by use of a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror and emits 80 mW of average power at 113 MHz. This is, to our knowledge, the first mode-locked Yb:BOYS laser and the shortest duration obtained from an ytterbium laser with a crystalline host. The central wavelength can be tuned from 1051 to 1070 nm, for sub-100-fs pulses. We have also achieved an average power as high as 300 mW with pulse duration of 86 fs at 1068 nm.

Apatite-structure crystal, Yb 3+ :SrY 4 (SiO 4 ) 3 O, for the development of diode-pumped femtosecond lasers

We report what is believed to be the first diode-pumped Yb(3+): SrY(4)(SiO(4)) (3)O laser. We investigate both the cw and the mode-locked regimes. In the cw regime an average output power of 1.05 W is demonstrated for 3.6 W of incident pump power. In the femtosecond regime a pulse duration of 94 fs for an average power of 110 mW is obtained at a central wavelength of 1068 nm. This is, to our knowledge, the first femtosecond mode-locked oscillator made with an Yb-doped apatitelike crystal. These properties are related to the unique spectroscopic properties of Yb(3+) ions in this atypical apatite-family crystal.

Numerical and experimental study of gain narrowing in ytterbium-based regenerative amplifiers

We present results of gain narrowing and gain-shifting simulation in a broad-band Yb/sup 3+/-doped material during regenerative amplification process. Results of our new model are confronted with experimental results of a directly diode-pumped Yb/sup 3+/:SrY/sub 4/(SiO/sub 4/)/sub 3/O regenerative amplifier which produced 380-fs 1065-nm pulses. Thanks to a Dazzler pulse shaper, this amplifier produced estimated sub-300-fs pulses after compression.

Directly diode-pumped Yb3+:SrY4(SiO4)3O regenerative amplifier

We report a regenerative amplifier based on an Yb-doped apatite crystal: Yb3+:SrY4(SiO4)3O (Yb:SYS). We obtained 420-fs pulses at a central wavelength of 1066 nm with an energy of 100 microJ at 300 Hz after compression. To the best of our knowledge, this system is the first regenerative amplifier based on an Yb:SYS crystal and provides duration among the shortest ones generated by a directly diode-pumped regenerative amplifier.

Diode-pumped 100-fs lasers based on a new apatite-structure crystal : Yb/sup 3+/:SrY/sub 4/(SiO/sub 4/)/sub 3/O

We demonstrated, for the first time, sub-100-fs lasers based on an Yb-doped apatite crystal: Yh3i:SrY4(Si04)30, also called Yb:SYS. Pulses as short as 94-fs have been obtained at 1070 nm with an average power of 1 IO mW. We also discussed the first results obtained with this crystal in a regenerative amplifier cavity. power was I IO mW and the repetition rate was 108MHz. We also obtained 130 mW of average power with 1 IO-fs-pulses at 1068 nm. We report the results obtained with a Yb3r:SrY4(Si04)30 (also called Yb:SYS) crystal, a new promising ytterbium-doped apatite crystal [ I ] with a 73-nm-large emission bandwidth used in a femtosecond oscillator and a regenerative amplifier.

69-fs and broadly-tunable diode-pumped Yb:BOYS laser

Summary from only given. We present the first diode pumped femtosecond Yb:Sr/sub 3/Y(BO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ (also called Yb:BOYS) laser. Laser materials suitable for efficient, simple and compact ultrafast laser sources should provide a broad emission bandwidth, should exhibit favorable thermal properties, and should offer the possibility to be directly diode-pumped.

CW and femtosecond regime of a new very broadband Yb-doped BOYS crystal

We studied a new promising broadband crystal : Yb:BOYS. A femtosecond laser producing largely tunable and sub-100-fs (down to 69fs) pulses was built.