The thermal effect in diode-end-pumped continuous-wave 914-nm Nd:YVO_4 laser

The thermal effect and the heat generation in diode-end-pumped continuous-wave 914-nm Nd：YVO4 lasers are investigated in detail. A theoretical model of a diode end-pumped solid-state laser is constructed to analyse the influence of fractional thermal loading on the thermal effect in the Nd：YVO4 laser based on finite element analysis. The thermal focal lengths and the end-surface deformations of laser rods in Nd：YVO4 quasi-three-level and four-level lasers are measured and compared with the results obtained by ordinary interferometry for the demonstration of higher thermal loading in 914-nm laser. Finally the fractional thermal loading in the Nd：YVO4 quasi-three-level laser is calculated by matching the experimental and the simulated end deformations.

Numerical Investigation of Laser Surface Hardening of AISI 4340 Using 3D FEM Model for Thermal Analysis of Different Laser Scanning Patterns

Laser surface hardening is becoming one of the most successful heat treatment processes for improving wear and fatigue properties of steel parts. In this process, the heating system parameters and the material properties have important effects on the achieved hardened surface characteristics. The control of these variables using predictive modeling strategies leads to the desired surface properties without following the fastidious trial and error method. However, when the dimensions of the surface to be treated are larger than the cross section of the laser beam, various laser scanning patterns can be used. Due to their effects on the hardened surface properties, the attributes of the selected scanning patterns become significant variables in the process. This paper presents numerical and experimental investigations of four scanning patterns for laser surface hardening of AISI 4340 steel. The investigations are based on exhaustive modelling and simulation efforts carried out using a 3D finite element thermal analysis and structured experimental study according to Taguchi method. The temperature distribution and the hardness profile attributes are used to evaluate the effects of heating parameters and patterns design parameters on the hardened surface characteristics. This is very useful for integrating the scanning patterns’ features in an efficient predictive modeling approach. A structured experimental design combined to improved statistical analysis tools is used to assess the 3D model performance. The experiments are performed on a 3 kW Nd:Yag laser system. The modeling results exhibit a great agreement between the predicted and measured values for the hardened surface characteristics. The model evaluation reveals also its ability to provide not only accurate and robust predictions of the temperature distribution and the hardness profile as well an in-depth analysis of the effects of the process parameters.

High power diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO_4 laser at repetition rate of 3.2 GHz

A compact high power diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO_4 laser with high repetition rate is realized.Using an Nd:YVO_4 crystal and a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror(SESAM) in the oscillator, the picosecond pulse output with an average power of 1.38 W, a repetition rate of 3.24 GHz, and a pulse duration of 11.4 ps is achieved. After one stage of amplification, the final output power reaches 11.34 W, corresponding to a total optical-to-optical efficiency of about 32%. The root mean square(RMS) value of power fluctuation is demonstrated to be less than 0.6% in 24 hours,showing a superior stability with the compact configuration.

A Stable 22-W Low-Noise Continuous-Wave Single-Frequency Nd:YVO_(4) Laser at 1.06 μm Directly Pumped by a Laser Diode

We report a low-noise continous-wave single-frequency Nd:YVO4 laser at 1.06μm directly pumped by an 880-nm laser diode.A maximum output power of 22 W is achieved with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 46.3%.The stability of the output is better than ±0.7% in the given four hours.The output beam is almost diffraction-Iimited with a measured beam quality of M^(2)_(x) =1.05 and M^(2)_(y) =1.02.The intensity noise and the phase noise of the laser reach the shot-noise limit at an analysis frequency of 5 MHz.

Efficient and high-power laser-diode single-end-pumped Nd：YVO4 continuous wave laser at 1342nm

A compact, efficient and high-power laser diode （LD） single-end-pumped Nd：YVO4 laser with continuous-wave emission at 1342 nm is reported. With a single crystal single-end-pumped by fibre-coupled LD array, an output power of 7.36W is obtained from the laser cavity of concave-convex shape, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 32.8%. The laser is operated in TEM00 mode with small rms amplitude noise of 0.3%. The influences of the Nd concentration, transmissivity of the output mirror and the cavity length on the output power have been studied experimentally.

Passively Q-Switched Nd:YVO_4 Laser Using a Gold Nanotriangle Saturable Absorber

A passively Q-switched Nd：YVO4 laser at 1064 nm is demonstrated based on a gold nanotriangle saturable absorber（GNT SA）.Under a pump power of 3.82 W,the maximum average output power of 218mW is achieved,corresponding to a slope efficiency of 12.9%.The minimum pulse width is 165ns and the maximum pulse repetition rate is 300kHz at the pump power of 3.48 W.Our results prove that the GNT SA is a promising saturable absorber for near-infrared lasers.

A Single-Longitudinal-Mode Passively Q-Switched Nd:YVO4 Laser Using Black Phosphorus Saturable Absorber

A black phosphorus (BP) saturable absorber (SA) solution with different concentrations (1.0 and 0.5 mg/ml) is fabricated with the liquid-phase exfoliation method. By using the BP-SA, a compact diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser is demonstrated. One reflecting Bragg gratings is used as the output coupler for mode selection. By inserting those BP-SA solutions in the laser cavity, the maximum single longitude mode, Q-switched output powers of 126mW at 692.5 kHz and 149mW at 630.3 kHz are achieved at the pump power of 8.0 W, corresponding to the pulse durations of 144 ns and 196 ns, respectively. Moreover, longitudinal-mode characteristics of Q-switched output laser in different optical cavity lengths based on two-kind BP-SA solution concentrations are investigated. Our results show that BP-SA could also be developed as an effective SA for the Q-switched, single longitudinal mode pulse laser.

Efficient Diode-Pumped Actively Q-Switched Ceramic Nd:YAG/YVO4 Raman Laser Operating at 1657 nm

A diode-pumped actively Q-switched Raman laser is demonstrated, with YV04 employed as Raman active medium, based on a ceramic Nd：YAG laser operating at 1444nm. The first-stokes Raman generation at 1657nm is achieved. A maximum output power of as high as 612mW is obtained under a pump power of 20. 7 W and at a pulse repetition frequency rate of 20kHz, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 3%.

A novel orthogonally linearly polarized Nd:YVO_4 laser

We presented a novel orthogonally linearly polarized Nd：YVO4 laser. Two pieces of a-cut grown-together composite YVO4/Nd：YVO4 crystals were placed in the resonant cavity with the c-axis of the two crystals orthogonally. The polarization and power performance of the orthogonally polarized laser were investigated. A 26.2-W orthogonally linearly polarized laser was obtained. The power ratio between the two orthogonally polarized lasers was varied with the pump power caused by the polarized mode coupling. The longitudinal modes competition and the corresponding variable optical beats were also observed from the orthogonally polarized laser. We also adjusted the crystals with their c-axis parallele to each other, and a 40.7-W linearly polarized TEM00 laser was obtained, and the beam quality factors were Mx^2 = 1.37 and My^2 = 1.25.

The 5.2 kW Nd：YAG Slab Amplifier Chain Seeded by Nd：YVO4 Innoslab Laser

A high power Nd：YAG end-pumped slab amplifier chain with a Nd：YVO4 innoslab laser as the master oscillator is demonstrated. A chain output power of 5210 W with beam quality of 4 times the diffraction limit is achieved by double-passing the first amplifier stage and single-passing the second stage with an optical efficiency of 29% while working at a frequency of 1kHz and pulse width of 200 μs.

High-power and high optical conversion efficiency diode-end-pumped laser with multi-segmented Nd：YAG/Nd：YVO-4

A novel flat-flat resonator consisting of two crystals（Nd：YAG ＋ Nd：YVO4） is established for power scaling in a diode-end-pumped solid-state laser. We systematically compare laser characteristics between multi-segmented（Nd：YAG ＋ Nd：YVO4） and conventional composite（Nd：YAG ＋ Nd：YAG） crystals to demonstrate the feasibility of spectral line matching for output power scale-up in end-pumped lasers. A maximum continuous-wave output power of 79.2 W is reported at 1064 nm, with Mx2= 4.82, My2= 5.48, and a pumping power of 136 W in the multi-segmented crystals（Nd：YAG ＋ Nd：YVO4）. Compared to conventional composite crystals（Nd：YAG ＋ Nd：YAG）, the optical-optical conversion efficiency of multi-segmented crystals（Nd：YAG ＋ Nd：YVO4） from 808 nm to 1064 nm is enhanced from 30% to 58.8%,while the laser output sensitivity as affected by the diode-laser temperature is reduced from 55% to 9%.

Efficient Mode-locked and Q-switched Nd∶YVO_4 Laser with Semiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror

We reported an efficient diode pumped Nd∶YVO4 1 064 nm laser passively mode-locked and Q-switched by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror(SESAM). At the incident pump power of 7.5 W, 2.81 W average output power was obtained during stable CW mode locking with a repetition rate of 111 MHz. The optical conversion efficiency was 37.5%, and the slope efficiency was 39%. So far as we know, this is the highest optical-optical conversion efficiency with a SESAM at home.

Diode Pumped High Peak Power Quasi Q-Switched and Passively Q-Switched Nd:YVO₄Lasers at 1064 nm and 532 nm using Cr:YAG and KTP crystals

Diode end-pumped solid-state lasers have the potential to yield high quality laser beams with high efficiency for laser range finding and warning receiver applications as well as day and night military laser designation systems. In this paper we presents theoretical calculations using Advanced Dynamics Professional LASCAD software and experimental studies for a high power pigtailed fiber diode laser module of 8 W operating at 808 nm with a specially designed high efficiency cooling system, end pumped high-efficiency Nd:YVO4 laser of 3 × 3 × 10 mm rod and overall cavity length of 44 mm. To the best of our knowledge a self Q-switching effects was generated in Nd:YVO4 laser by changing the cavity dimensions and the position of the intracavity KTP crystal at certain regime of operation for the first time, in which the cavity length is reduced to be 30 mm and the distance between Nd:YVO4 rod and KTP crystal is only 1mm. Self Q-switched laser pulse at 532 nm with high peak power of 96 W, pulse width of 88 ns at FWHM and repetition rate of 400 kHz was achieved. Experimental studies of a passive Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser using Cr:YAG crystal with three different transmissions of 30%, 40% and 70% were investigated. Passive Q-switched laser pulse at 1064 nm and narrow line width of less than 1.5 nm with highest peak power of nearly 18 kW, short pulse width of less than 4 ns at FWHM and higher repetition rate of 45 kHz using Cr:YAG with transmission of 30% was achieved for the first time.

端面泵浦双Nd∶YVO_4激光器中热效应对腔稳定性的影响

利用多个激光晶体串接方式可以提高固体激光器的输出功率 发展双Nd∶YVO4 晶体激光器 ,将晶体的端面镀膜作为谐振腔的端面镜 ,构成了平行平面谐振腔 对平行平面谐振腔的等效腔进行了理论分析 ,结果表明激光晶体吸收泵浦光产生的热透镜效应对保持腔的稳定性起到了重要的作用 在国内首次进行了双端泵浦双Nd∶YVO4 激光器的实验研究 ,在抽运功率为 2 0 .74W时获得了 11W的 10 6 4nmTEM0 0 模激光输出 ,其光 光转化效率约为 5 3%

LD端面泵浦折叠腔Nd:YVO4/LBO激光器

对端面泵浦Nd∶YVO4 构成的四镜Z型折叠腔结构进行了理论研究 ,合理调整谐振腔的参量关系 ,使谐振腔能够适应不同泵浦功率下激光晶体热焦距的变化 ,同时所设计的折叠腔还具有腔参量调整灵活等特点 以LBO晶体为倍频晶体 ,采用Ⅰ类角度调节位相匹配技术 ,在双端泵浦光功率为 2 6W时 ,成功地获得了 4W稳定的连续绿光输出 Nd∶YVO4 /LBO绿光激光器输出为 4W时的稳定性为 1.3% ,其光 光转换效率达到 13%

LD泵浦Nd∶YVO_4/KTP/BBO紫外激光器

本文报道在国内首次实现的ＬＤ泵浦的四倍频连续紫外激光器的实验结果．首先研究了ＬＤ泵浦的Ｎｄ∶ＹＶＯ４激光器，在普通平－平腔结构下，得到斜效率５５．６８％，激光输出波长１０６４ｎｍ；利用ＫＴＰ作为倍频晶体，实现腔内倍频，在泵浦功率１１．８５Ｗ时得到绿光（５３２ｎｍ）输出１．３５Ｗ，光－光转换效率１１％；用ＢＢＯ晶体进行外腔谐振倍频。

双端抽运Nd:YVO_4激光晶体的半解析热分析

通过对激光二极管双端抽运Nd∶YVO4晶体的分析 ,建立符合实际工作条件的热模型和边界条件 ,利用半解析热分析方法得出了激光晶体内部温度场和端面的热形变计算公式 ,并对影响温度场分布的各种因素进行了理论分析与计算。所得出的结论可以推广到其它激光晶体 ,为有效地解决激光晶体热效应问题提供了理论基础。

LD泵浦Nd∶YVO_4晶体LBO临界相位匹配倍频671nm激光器

报道了国产LD泵浦Nd∶YVO4 晶体 ,首次用临界相位匹配方式LBO腔内倍频实现了高效率的 6 71nm红激光输出。当注入泵浦功率为 80 0mW时 ,用II类临界相位匹配LBO倍频 ,红激光基模输出 5 2mW ,光 光转换效率达 6 .5 %;用I类临界相位匹配LBO倍频 ,红激光基模输出 97mW ,光 光转换效率达 12 .1%。

激光分布对抽运Nd∶YVO_4晶体热效应的影响

以解析各向异性分析理论为基础,研究了在矩形横截面Nd∶YVO4激光晶体受到超高斯分布LD端面抽运时,激光晶体的温度场分布和抽运面热形变分布。通过分析激光晶体工作特点,考虑了激光分布和激光光束半径变化,建立了符合激光晶体工作状态的热模型。利用各向异性介质热传导方程的一种新求解方法,得出了矩形截面Nd∶YVO4晶体的温度场、端面热形变场的通解表达式。研究结果表明:当使用输出功率为15 W的半导体激光器(超高斯阶次为1)从端面中心入射Nd∶YVO4晶体(晶体掺钕离子质量分数为0.5%)时,在抽运端面中心获得了243.8℃最高温升和1.99μm最大热形变量,与实验结果一致。这种方法可以应用到其它激光晶体热问题研究中,为有效解决激光系统热问题提供了理论依据。

用于飞秒紫外激光产生的LD泵浦高效Nd∶YVO_4绿光激光器研究

利用简单的折叠腔 ,腔内不含任何其它附加光学元件 ,LD双端泵浦 Nd∶YVO4 ,KTP腔内倍频绿光激光器实现了低阈值、高效率的 TEM0 0 模稳定激光输出 .最高绿光输出功率可达到 3 .3 W,光 -光转换效率为 1 6.2 % .