Title :
Reducing pulse durations in diode pumped Q-switched solid-state lasers
Author :
Plaessmann, Henry ; Stahr, Fritz ; Grossman, William M.
Author_Institution :
Lightwave Electron., Mountain View, CA, USA
Abstract :
The authors describe a subminiature, laser-diode-pumped, acoustooptic Q-switched Nd:YLF laser. The laser utilizes a very short cavity and laser crystal cooling to increase gain and reduce pulse width. Exploiting this technology results in 1.321 mu m pulses with durations and peak powers of 4.7 ns and 1100 W at 2 kHz and 8.7 ns and 250 W at 10 kHz in Nd:YLF. Similarly, 10 kHz pulses at 1.047 mu m have 2.7 ns duration and 1500 W peak power, also in Nd:YLF.<>
Keywords :
Q-switching; high-speed optical techniques; lithium compounds; neodymium; optical pumping; solid lasers; yttrium compounds; 1.047 micron; 1.321 micron; 1100 W; 1500 W; 2.7 ns; 250 W; 4.7 ns; 8.7 ns; LiYF4:Nd; Q-switched solid-state lasers; YLF:Nd; acoustooptic Q-switched Nd:YLF laser; gain; laser crystal cooling; pulse durations; pulse width; subminiature LD pumped laser; very short cavity; Diode lasers; Fiber lasers; LED lamps; Laser excitation; Optical pulses; Optical resonators; Optical surface waves; Pulse amplifiers; Pump lasers; Solid lasers;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
