Taisuke Miura

Interstitial oxygen molecules in amorphous SiO2. III. Measurements of dissolution kinetics, diffusion coefficient, and solubility by infrared photoluminescence

Concentration changes of interstitial oxygen molecules (O2) in amorphous SiO2(a-SiO2) thermally annealed in oxygen atmosphere were examined by the O2 photoluminescence at 1272 nm excited with 765-nm light of titanium sapphire laser. This highly sensitive technique allows the time- and temperature-dependent concentration changes of interstitial O2 due to their incorporation from an oxygen atmosphere to be directly measured. The data provide the dissolution rate, the diffusion coefficient, and the solubility of interstitial O2 in a-SiO2 and are able to exclude interferences from other forms of mobile oxygen species in a-SiO2. These observations confirm that O2 molecules are incorporated into a-SiO2 without separating into monoatomic species, diffuse in a-SiO2 without extensive interaction with the a-SiO2 network, and play a primary role in the thermal oxidation of silicon.

Characteristics of extreme ultraviolet emission from mid-infrared laser-produced rare-earth Gd plasmas

We characterize extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission from mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) of the rare-earth element Gd. The energy conversion efficiency (CE) and the spectral purity in the mid-IR LPPs at λL = 10.6 μm were higher than for solid-state LPPs at λL = 1.06 μm, because the plasma produced is optically thin due to the lower critical density, resulting in a CE of 0.7%. The peak wavelength remained fixed at 6.76 nm for all laser intensities studied. Plasma parameters at a mid-IR laser intensity of 1.3×10(11) W/cm(2) was also evaluated by use of the hydrodynamic simulation code to produce the EUV emission at 6.76 nm.

Suppression of nonlinear phonon relaxation in Yb:YAG thin disk via zero phonon line pumping

A quantitative comparison of conventional absorption line (940 nm) pumping and zero phonon line (ZPL) (969 nm) pumping of a Yb:YAG thin disk laser is reported. Characteristics of an output beam profile, surface temperature, and deformation of a thin disk under the different pump wavelengths are evaluated. We found that a nonlinear phonon relaxation (NPR) of the excited state in Yb:YAG, which induces nonlinear temperature rise and large aspheric deformation, did not appear in the case of a ZPL pumped Yb:YAG thin disk. This means that the advantage of ZPL pumping is not only the reduction of quantum defect but also the suppression of NPR. The latter effect is more important for high power lasers.

Low-loss broadband semiconductor saturable absorber mirror for mode-locked Ti:sapphire lasers

Abstract We developed a low-loss broadband silver-based semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) for mode-locked Ti:sapphire lasers. By the insertion of a dielectric layer in between the semiconductor and metal layers, the non-saturable loss of the SESAM was reduced to ∼1%. The experiment demonstrated that such a SESAM offers a sufficiently broad band-width to support sub-10-fs pulses, with a reasonably high output power.

Timing jitter in a kilohertz regenerative amplifier of a femtosecond-pulse Ti:Al 2 O 3 laser

We measure the timing error of femtosecond pulses amplified by a Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier at a 1-kHz repetition rate by use of a modified cross-correlation technique. Linearly frequency-chirped amplified pulses are frequency mixed with transform-limited oscillator pulses. A shift in the sum frequency corresponds to the timing error of each amplified pulse relative to the oscillator pulses. The timing error was measured every 6 ms with approximately 1-fs resolution over a measurable range of 400 fs.

Interstitial oxygen molecules in amorphous SiO2. II. The influence of common dopants (SiOH, SiF, and SiCl groups) and fictive temperature on the decay of singlet photoluminescence

Time decay of photoluminescence due to interstitial oxygen molecules (O2) in synthetic amorphous SiO2(a-SiO2) was studied by varying the fictive temperature and the concentrations of common dopants (SiOH, SiCl, and SiF groups). The decay constant is insensitive to the fictive temperature, but strongly depends on the type of dopants: it is reduced by the nonradiative decay via an energy transfer from O2 to the vibrational modes of the dopants. The increases in the nonradiative decay rate due to SiOH, SiF, and SiCl groups are strong, slight, and negligible, respectively, which correlates with their vibrational energies. The quantum yield decreases by ∼20% as the SiOH content increases from 1017 to 1020cm−3. The deviation from the single exponential decay is due to the shape variation in the a-SiO2 network cages that surround O2, and to the distance distribution between O2 and SiOH groups.

Stable mode-locking operation in a Cr:forsterite laser with a five-mirror cavity

The experimental finding of more-stable mode-locking operation in a five-mirror cavity than in a conventional four-mirror cavity for a Cr:forsterite laser [IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 33, 1975 (1997)] was interpreted by ABCD-matrix formalism. Since the optimum cavity configuration operation for mode-locking operation was attainable in the middle of the stable cavity condition, we conclude that one can easily achieve KLM alignment and stable mode locking with a five-mirror cavity.

Spectroscopic and lasing characteristics of Yb:YGAG ceramic at cryogenic temperatures

We present the spectroscopic characterization and continuous-wave laser operation of a new Yb doped Y3Ga2A13O12 (Yb:YGAG) ceramic material at cryogenic temperatures. The peak absorption is centered at 942 nm, zero phonon line at 970 nm and the peak emission at 1028 nm. The emission bandwidth is as much as three times larger than Yb:YAG at cryogenic temperatures which makes this material very promising for sub-picosecond pulse generation. At cryogenic continuous-wave laser operation, a maximum output of 2.92W with a slope efficiency of 20.3% at 60K is achieved.

Isotope Effect on the Infrared Photoluminescence Decay of Interstitial Oxygen Molecules in Amorphous SiO2

The decay constants of the a1Δg(v=0)→X3Σg-(v=0) infrared photoluminescence (PL) of isotopically-labeled oxygen molecules 16O18O and 18O2 dissolved in the interstitial voids of a-SiO2 are ~1.7 and ~2.5 times larger than that of 16O2. This difference originates from the isotope shift in the energy of the nonradiative transitions from the a state to the vibronic levels of the X ground state. Calibration of the PL quantum yield using the measured decay constants is essential to measure the correct concentration of isotopically-labeled interstitial O2.

Efficient laser performance of a cryogenic Yb:YAG laser pumped by fiber coupled 940 and 969?nm laser diodes

Laser performance of Yb:YAG at different cryogenic temperatures pumped by a fiber coupled diode laser emitting at 940 and 969 nm were presented. The pump laser diode bandwidth, absorption bandwidth as well as absorption of the laser material at cryogenic temperatures play a vital role on laser performance. The laser threshold decreases and the output power and slope efficiency increase when cooled to cryogenic temperatures.