Title :
Solid-state laser using a rhodamine-doped silica gel compound
Author :
Altman, J.C. ; Stone, R.E. ; Dunn, B. ; Nishida, F.
Author_Institution :
Lockheed Palo Alto Res. Lab., CA, USA
fDate :
3/1/1991 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The lasing action of organically modified silica gel (ORMOSIL) host media doped with laser dyes, rhodamine 6G, and rhodamine B is described. The laser is a monolithic design pumped transversely by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Conversion efficiencies as high as 39% were observed with usable lifetimes exceeding 50000 pulses. With a 500- mu J pump source, typical output energies of 200 mu J were produced. The values obtained for the lifetime go well beyond the photostability behavior reported in prior studies. Moreover, this work shows that a simple monolithic solid-state laser pumped by a pulsed Nd:YAG is capable of producing broadband spectral output of 100-kW peak power. More detailed investigations are currently underway with different dyes and pump cavity configurations.<>
Keywords :
dye lasers; gels; laser cavity resonators; optical pumping; organic compounds; solid lasers; 100 kW; 200 muJ; 39 percent; YAG:Nd; YAl5O12:Nd; broadband spectral output; laser dyes; monolithic design; organically modified silica gel; pulsed Nd:YAG laser; pump cavity configurations; pump source; rhodamine 6G; rhodamine B; rhodamine-doped silica gel; solid state lasers; usable lifetimes; Laser beams; Laser excitation; Laser tuning; Optical materials; Optical pulses; Organic inorganic hybrid materials; Pump lasers; Silicon compounds; Slabs; Solid lasers;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
