Scott C. Mitchell

115-W Tm:YAG diode-pumped solid-state laser

A compact diode-pumped Tm:YAG laser capable of generating greater than 100 W of CW power at 2 /spl mu/m has been demonstrated. A scalable diode end-pumping architecture is used in which 805-nm radiation, coupled to the wing of the Tm/sup 3+3/H/sub 6/-/sup 3/H/sub 4/ absorption feature, is delivered to the end of the laser rod via a lens duct. To facilitate thermal management, undoped YAG end caps are diffusion bonded to the central doped portion of the laser rod. For 2% and 4% Tm-doped rods of the same length, the lower doping level results in higher power, indicating that cross relaxation is still efficient while offering lower thermal stress and reduced absorption at the laser wavelength. Output powers for various output coupler reflectivities are compared to the predictions of a quasi-three-level model. Thermal lensing, cavity stability, and stress-induced birefringence measurements are described. The beam quality was analyzed with the 2% Tm-doped rod and a flat output coupler, yielding M/sup 2/ values of 14-23.

High-power dual-rod Yb:YAG laser

We describe a diode-pumped Yb:YAG laser that produces 1080 W of power cw with 27.5% optical optical efficiency and 532 W Q-switched with M2=2.2 and 17% optical–optical efficiency. The laser uses two composite Yb:YAG rods separated by a 90° quartz rotator for bifocusing compensation. A microlensed diode array end pumps each rod, using a hollow lens duct for pump delivery. By changing resonator parameters we can adjust the fundamental mode size and the output beam quality. Using a flattened Gaussian intensity profile to calculate the mode-fill efficiency and clipping losses, we compare experimental data with modeled output power versus beam quality.

High-average-power 1-/spl mu/m performance and frequency conversion of a diode-end-pumped Yb:YAG laser

Using a diode-end-pumped technology, a Yb:YAG laser capable of delivering up to 434 W of CW power has been demonstrated. The system incorporates a unique composite rod design which allows for high-average-power operation while simultaneously suppressing parasitic oscillations. Modeling and experimental data to support the quenching of parasitics are discussed. Beam quality measurements for CW operation with several cavity configurations are presented. In particular, beam quality measurements at 340-W CW yielded a beam quality factor of M/sup 2/=21. Predictions of a quasi-three-level model are compared with the experimental data for several output coupler reflectivities. An observed dependence of the cavity mode fill as a function of output coupler reflectivity is discussed. Employing a single acoustooptical switch, the system was Q-switched at 10 kHz and generated output powers up to 280 W with a measured beam quality of M/sup 2/=6.8 at 212 W, With an external dual-KTP crystal configuration, the Q-switched output was frequency converted to 515 nm and produced up to 76 W at 10 kHz in a 30-ns pulse length.

High-power planar dielectric waveguide lasers

The advantages and potential hazards of using a planar waveguide as the host in a high-power diode-pumped laser system are described. The techniques discussed include the use of proximity-coupled diodes, double-clad waveguides, unstable resonators, tapers, and integrated passive Q switches. Laser devices are described based on Yb3+-, Nd3+-, and Tm3+-doped YAG, and monolithic and highly compact waveguide lasers with outputs greater than 10 W are demonstrated. The prospects for scaling to the 100 W level and for further integration of devices for added functionality in a monolithic laser system are discussed.

183-W, M(2) = 2.4 Yb:YAG Q-switched laser.

We have fabricated a diode-array end-pumped Yb:YAG rod laser with output powers greater than 200 W cw and 195 W Q -switched at 5 kHz. At an output power of 183 W and a repetition rate of 5 kHz, the beam quality was measured to be M(2)=2.4 . The laser design incorporates a hollow lens duct to concentrate the diode pump light for delivery to the end of the laser rod while maintaining access to the laser beam. This configuration provides increased flexibility for the resonator design and permits the use of birefringence compensation in the cavity to yield polarized output with increased efficiency. Using the recently described birefringence compensation method of Clarkson et al. [in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C., 1998), paper CTuI3], we obtained 112 W of cw power with a polarized beam of M(2)=3.2.

Continuous-wave and passively Q-switched cladding-pumped planar waveguide lasers.

Greater than 12 W of average output power has been generated from a diode-pumped Yb:YAG cladding-pumped planar waveguide laser. The laser radiation developed is linearly polarized and diffraction limited in the guiding dimension. A slope efficiency of 0.5 W/W with a peak optical-optical conversion efficiency of 0.31 W/W is achieved. In a related structure, greater than 8 W of Q -switched average output power has been generated from a Nd:YAG cladding-pumped planar waveguide laser by incorporation of a Cr(4+): YAG passive Q switch monolithically into the waveguide structure. Pulse widths of 3 ns and pulse-repetition frequencies as high as 80 kHz have been demonstrated. A slope efficiency of 0.28 W/W with a peak optical-optical conversion efficiency of 0.21 W/W is achieved.

Scalable diode-end-pumping technology applied to a 100-MJ Q-switched Nd 3+ :YLF laser oscillator

A compact diode-end-pumped Nd3+:YLF laser oscillator capable of delivering 100 mJ of energy in a 4-ns pulse is demonstrated. A scalable pump architecture is used in which the output from a cylindrical-microlens conditioned-diode array is delivered to the laser rod via a lens duct. As a pump technology, this architecture may permit new applications for diode lasers that were previously not possible.

Passively Q-switched transverse-diode-pumped Nd 3+ :YLF laser oscillator

The design and performance of a diode-pumped Nd3+:YLF laser oscillator is described. A simple transverse-pump geometry in which a lensing duct efficiently couples the two-dimensional diode-pump array radiation to the YLF rod is employed. Using a color-center LiF crystal as a passive Q switch, we have produced burst-mode pulse trains that have a total energy of 115 mJ at a 30-Hz pulse-repetition frequency. The Q-switched pulse-train energy is 71% of the optimized free-lasing pulse energy, which is 163 mJ. Using an unstable cavity with a graded-reflectivity output coupler, we have generated Q-switched pulses that have 12-ns duration and near-diffraction-limited spatial profiles.

Modeling of high-power continuous-wave Tm:YAG side-pumped double-clad waveguide lasers

A plane-wave model accounting for cross-relaxation, upconversion, ground-state depletion, and gain saturation in continuous-wave laser systems is applied to side-pumped Tm:YAG double-clad planar waveguides. The temperature profile due to high-power pumping, and the delivery and absorption efficiencies of proximity-coupled diode bars, are also calculated. The theoretical performance is found to be a good fit to the experimental results, which show 15-W output at 2 /spl mu/m from 43 W of diode pump power. The output channels for the absorbed power are quantified, and it is shown that upconversion limits the gain and, hence, the size of the output coupling that can be used in such lasers. The same theory is then used to design a very compact waveguide laser capable of delivering 100 W of output power.

Direct measurements of temperature-dependent laser absorptivity of metal powders

A compact system is developed to measure laser absorptivity for a variety of powder materials (metals, ceramics, etc.) with different powder size distributions and thicknesses. The measured results for several metal powders are presented. The results are consistent with those from ray tracing calculations.