Optimization of the gain in Yb^(3+)-doped cubic laser crystals of 99.99% purity

This was an outlook on the prediction of the infrared laser potentiality from concentration dependences of the 2F5/2 experimental decay time in Yb3＋-doped solid-state crystals mainly on cubic crystals with 99.99% purity which could be extended to laser ceramics of the same composition.

High efficiency sub-nanosecond electro-optical Q-switched laser operating at kilohertz repetition frequency

Based on a theoretical model of Q-switched laser with the influences of the driving signal sent to the Pockels cell and the doping concentration of the gain medium taken into account,a method of achieving high energy sub-nanosecond Q-switched lasers is proposed and verified in experiment.When a Nd:YVO4 crystal with a doping concentration of 0.7 at.%is used as a gain medium and a driving signal with the optimal high-level voltage is applied to the Pockels cell,a stable single-transverse-mode electro-optical Q-switched laser with a pulse width of 0.77 ns and a pulse energy of 1.04 mJ operating at the pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz is achieved.The precise tuning of the pulse width is also demonstrated.

Nickel-disilicide-assisted excimer laser crystallization of amorphous silicon

Polycrystalline silicon （poly-Si） thin film has been prepared by means of nickel-disilicide （NiSi2） assisted excimer laser crystallization （ELC）. The process to prepare a sample includes two steps. One step consists of the formation of NiSi2 precipitates by heat-treating the dehydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si） coated with a thin layer of Ni. And the other step consists of the formation of poly-Si grains by means of ELC. According to the test results of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, another grain growth model named two-interface grain growth has been proposed to contrast with the conventional Ni-metal-induced lateral crystallization （Ni-MILC） model and the ELC model. That is, an additional grain growth interface other than that in conventional ELC is formed, which consists of NiSi2 precipitates and a-Si. The processes for grain growth according to various excimer laser energy densities delivered to the a-Si film have been discussed. It is discovered that grains with needle shape and most of a uniform orientation are formed which grow up with NiSi2 precipitates as seeds. The reason for the formation of such grains which are different from that of Ni-MILC without migration of Ni atoms is not clear. Our model and analysis point out a method to prepare grains with needle shape and mostly of a uniform orientation. If such grains are utilized to make thin-film transistor, its characteristics may be improved.

Growth of Yb∶YAB Crystal and Its Laser Performance

Single crystal of Yb x Y 1- x Al 3(BO 3) 4 (Yb∶YAB) was grown by using flux method based on the potassium trimolybdate. 160 mW efficient continuous wave green output was obtained from a fibre coupled 976 nm laser diode. The conversion efficiency is larger than 11 3%, and the electrical input green conversion efficiency is 3 9%. Tunable green output from 513 0 to 545 8 nm is also demonstrated with a quartz birefringent filter. By enhancing the incident pump power, 1 1 W cw green output can be reached.

Passively Mode-Locked Femtosecond Disordered Crystal Laser with Nd:CGA as Gain Medium

We present a laser-diode-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond disordered crystal laser by using Nd：CaGdAI04 （Nd：CGA） as the gain medium. With a pair of SF6 prisms to control the dispersion compensation, laser pulses as short as 850fs at 1079nm are obtained with a repetition rate of 124.6 MHz. The measured threshold pump power is 1.45 W. A maximum average output power of 122mW is obtained under the pump power of 5.9 W. These results show that Nd：CGA could be a promising laser medium for generating femtosecond ultrashort pulse at about 1 μm.

Deformation and removal of semiconductor and laser single crystals at extremely small scales

Semiconductor and laser single crystals are usually brittle and hard,which need to be ground to have satisfactory surface integrity and dimensional precision prior to their applications.Improvement of the surface integrity of a ground crystal can shorten the time of a subsequent polishing process,thus reducing the manufacturing cost.The development of cost-effective grinding technologies for those crystals requires an in-depth understanding of their deformation and removal mechanisms.As a result,a great deal of research efforts were directed towards studying this topic in the past two or three decades.In this review,we aimed to summarize the deformation and removal characteristics of representative semiconductor and laser single crystals in accordance with the scale of mechanical loading,especially at extremely small scales.Their removal mechanisms were critically examined based on the evidence obtained from highresolution TEM analyses.The relationships between machining conditions and removal behaviors were discussed to provide a guidance for further advancing of the grinding technologies for those crystals.

Acousto-Optically Q-Switched Operation of Yb:CNGG Disordered Crystal Laser

We report the repetitively Q-switched laser operation of the Yb-doped calcium niobium gallium garnet disordered garnet crystal, achieved with an acousto-optic modulator in a compact plano-concave resonator that is endpumped by a 935-nm diode laser. An average output power of 1.96 W is produced at pulse repetition rate of50 k Hz at emission wavelengths around 1035 nm, with a slope efficiency of 16%. The highest pulse energy of 269 μJ is generated at pulse repetition rate of 1 k Hz, with pulse width 12.1 ns and peak power 20.53 kW.

Configuration optimization of laser guide stars and wavefront correctors for multi-conjugation adaptive optics

Multi-conjugation adaptive optics（MCAOs） have been investigated and used in the large aperture optical telescopes for high-resolution imaging with large field of view（FOV）.The atmospheric tomographic phase reconstruction and projection of three-dimensional turbulence volume onto wavefront correctors,such as deformable mirrors（DMs） or liquid crystal wavefront correctors（LCWCs）,is a very important step in the data processing of an MCAO＇s controller.In this paper,a method according to the wavefront reconstruction performance of MCAO is presented to evaluate the optimized configuration of multi laser guide stars（LGSs） and the reasonable conjugation heights of LCWCs.Analytical formulations are derived for the different configurations and are used to generate optimized parameters for MCAO.Several examples are given to demonstrate our LGSs configuration optimization method.Compared with traditional methods,our method has minimum wavefront tomographic error,which will be helpful to get higher imaging resolution at large FOV in MCAO.

UV–visible spectral characterization and density functional theory simulation analysis on laser-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films

The effect of laser energy density on the crystallization of hydrogenated intrinsic amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） thin films was studied both theoretically and experimentally. The thin films were irritated by a frequency-doubled （λ= 532 nm） Nd：YAG pulsed nanosecond laser. An effective density functional theory model was built to reveal the variation of bandgap energy influenced by thermal stress after laser irradiation. Experimental results establish correlation between the thermal stress and the shift of transverse optical peak in Raman spectroscopy and suggest that the relatively greater shift of the transverse optical （TO） peak can produce higher stress. The highest crystalline fraction （84.5%） is obtained in the optimized laser energy density （1000 mJ/cm2） with a considerable stress release. The absorption edge energy measured by the UV- visible spectra is in fairly good agreement with the bandgap energy in the density functional theory （DFT） simulation.

J-mixing Effect of the Crystal-field on the Spectroscopic Characteristics of Rare-earth Doped Laser Crystals

By using the re-derived formulae for both line-strength of electricdipole transition and simple J-mixing coefficients within the 4f shell in a rare-earthion, the spectroscopic properties of the luminescent material Eu3+ =Y2O3 and laser crystals Tb3+:=YAlO3 and Nd3+:YVO4, are investigated in detail. On the basis of three fitting Ω parameters and the effective reduced matrix elements, the spectral linestrengths, spontaneous emission probabilities, fluorescent branching ratios and lifetimeare calculated. The better agreement between theoretical results and experimental dataindicates the importance of J-mixing in the spectroscopic study of laser crystals.

Progress of 1.5～1.6 μm Laser Crystals

Eye-safe 1.5～1.6 μm lasers have important applications in optical fiber communication, medicine, laser-range-finding, lidar, etc. Er^3＋ and Yb^3＋ co-doped crystal pumped by diode laser around 976 nm is an attractive method for obtaining 1.5～1.6 μm laser in compact device with high output beam quality. In this paper, the recent research and progress of several important Er^3＋ and Yb^3＋ co-doped laser crystals at 1.5～1.6 μm in authors’ lab are reported.

Single,composite,and ceramic Nd:YAG 946-nm lasers

Single, composite crystal and ceramic continuous wave （CW） 946-nm Nd：YAG lasers are demonstrated, respectively. The ceramic laser behaves better than the crystal laser. With 5-mm long ceramic, a CW output power of 1.46 W is generated with an optical conversion efficiency of 13.9%, while the slope efficiency is 17.9%. The optimal ceramic length for a 946- nm laser is also calculated.

The Effect of Laser Irradiation on Surface Enhanced Raman Scatering for Silver Film

The laser irradiation effect on the SERS intensity for Ag film is discussed using crystal violet (CV) as a probe. The thickness of silver film,the etching time of the glass slide by gaseous hydrogen fluoride, and the laser irradiation time for different amounts of CV on silver films were investigated. The laser burn out model was proposed to explain the dependence of the SERS intensity of CV on the laser irradiation time.

Intensities and spectral features of the ~4I_(13/2)-~4I_(15/2) potential laser transition of Er^(3+) centers in CaF_2-CeF_3 disordered crystal

A CaF2-CeF3 disordered crystal containing 1.06% of Er^3＋ ions was grown by the temperature gradient technique.Optical absorption and emission spectra recorded at room temperature and at 10 K, luminescence decay curve recorded at room temperature, and extended x-ray-absorption fine structure spectra were analyzed with an intention to assess the laser potential related to the ^4I13/2→^4I15/2 transition of Er^3＋. In addition, the thermal diffusivity of the crystal was measured at room temperature. The analysis of room-temperature spectra revealed that the ^4I13/2 emission is long-lived with a radiative lifetime value of 5.5 ms, peak emission cross section of 0.73 × 10^-20 cm^2, and large spectral width pointing at the tunability of the emission wavelength in the region stretching from approximately 1480 nm to 1630 nm. The energies of the crystal field components for the ground and excited multiplets determined from low-temperature absorption and emission spectra made it possible to predict successfully the spectral position and shape of the room-temperature ^4I13/2→^4I15/2 emission band. Based on the correlation of the optical spectra and dynamics of the luminescence decay, it was concluded that in contrast to Yb^3＋ ions in heavily doped CaF2 erbium ions in the CaF2-CeF3 crystal reside in numerous sites with dissimilar relaxation rates.

Laser synthesis and functionalization of nanostructures

This article summarizes work at the Laser Thermal Laboratory and discusses related studies on the laser synthesis and functionalization of semiconductor nanostructures and two-dimensional(2D)semiconductor materials.Research has been carried out on the laser-induced crystallization of thin films and nanostructures.The in situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM)monitoring of the crystallization of amorphous precursors in nanodomains is discussed herein.The directed assembly of silicon nanoparticles and the modulation of their optical properties by phase switching is presented.The vapor-liquid-solid mechanism has been adopted as a bottom-up approach in the synthesis of semiconducting nanowires(NWs).In contrast to furnace heating methods,laser irradiation offers high spatial selectivity and precise control of the heating mechanism in the time domain.These attributes enabled the investigation of NW nucleation and the early stage of nanostructure growth.Site-and shape-selective,on-demand direct integration of oriented NWs was accomplished.Growth of discrete silicon NWs with nanoscale location selectivity by employing near-field laser illumination is also reported herein.Tuning the properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs)by modulating the free carrier type,density,and composition can offer an exciting new pathway to various practical nanoscale electronics.In situ Raman probing of laser-induced processing of TMDC flakes was conducted in a TEM instrument.

Self-limiting laser crystallization and direct writing of 2D materials

Direct growth and patterning of atomically thin two-dimensional(2D)materials on various substrates are essential steps towards enabling their potential for use in the next generation of electronic and optoelectronic devices.The conventional gas-phase growth techniques,however,are not compatible with direct patterning processes.Similarly,the condensed-phase methods,based on metal oxide deposition and chalcogenization processes,require lengthy processing times and high temperatures.Here,a novel self-limiting laser crystallization process for direct crystallization and patterning of 2D materials is demonstrated.It takes advantage of significant differences between the optical properties of the amorphous and crystalline phases.Pulsed laser deposition is used to deposit a thin layer of stoichiometric amorphous molybdenum disulfide(MoS2)film(∼3 nm)onto the fused silica substrates.A tunable nanosecond infrared(IR)laser(1064 nm)is then employed to couple a precise amount of power and number of pulses into the amorphous materials for controlled crystallization and direct writing processes.The IR laser interaction with the amorphous layer results in fast heating,crystallization,and/or evaporation of the materials within a narrow processing window.However,reduction of the midgap and defect states in the as crystallized layers decreases the laser coupling efficiency leading to higher tolerance to process parameters.The deliberate design of such laser 2D material interactions allows the selflimiting crystallization phenomena to occur with increased quality and a much broader processing window.This unique laser processing approach allows high-quality crystallization,direct writing,patterning,and the integration of various 2D materials into future functional devices.

Crystallization Behaviour of Laser Synthesized Nanometric Amorphous Si_3N_4 Powders

The crystallization behaviour of the laser synthesized nanometric amorphous Si3N4 powders with the particle size of 15 nm in diameter has been studied between 1200° and 1700℃ by XRD,TEM and FTIR techniques. A small amount of β-Si3N4 formed at 1250℃ and increased slowly until the α- β transformation happened at 1700℃, whereas α-Si3N4 appeared at 1300℃ andincreased rapidly between 1500-1600℃. The formation of β phase at the lower temperature was caused by the nitridation of free Si due to the preexisted β-nuclei in the Si3N4 particles, whereasthe α phase was formed by solid crystallization from the amorphous matrix. There were α and β SiC formed at 1700℃ due to the presence of Sio and Co gases in the system. FTIR analysis shows that two new IR absorption at 1356 and 1420 cm-1, and an overall strong absorption in wide wavenumber range resulted from the powders annealed at 1600 and 1700℃ respectively

A high precision phase reconstruction algorithm for multi-laser guide stars adaptive optics

Adaptive optics（AO） systems are widespread and considered as an essential part of any large aperture telescope for obtaining a high resolution imaging at present.To enlarge the imaging field of view（FOV）,multi-laser guide stars（LGSs） are currently being investigated and used for the large aperture optical telescopes.LGS measurement is necessary and pivotal to obtain the cumulative phase distortion along a target in the multi-LGSs AO system.We propose a high precision phase reconstruction algorithm to estimate the phase for a target with an uncertain turbulence profile based on the interpolation.By comparing with the conventional average method,the proposed method reduces the root mean square（RMS） error from 130 nm to 85 nm with a 30% reduction for narrow FOV.We confirm that such phase reconstruction algorithm is validated for both narrow field AO and wide field AO.

Static and Dynamic Analysis of Lasing Action from Single and Coupled Photonic Crystal Nanocavity Lasers

The single and coupled photonic crystal nanocavity lasers are fabricated in the InGaAsP material system and their static and dynamic features are compared. The coupled-cavity lasers show a larger lasing e^ciency and generate an output power higher than the single-cavity lasers, results that are consistent with the theoretical results obtained by rate equations. In dynamic regime, the single-cavity lasers produce pulses as short as 113 ps, while the coupled-cavity lasers show a significantly longer lasing duration. These results indicate that the photonic crystal laser is a promising candidate for the light source in high-speed photonic integrated circuit.

Temperature-Dependent Fluorescence Properties and Diode-Pumped Deep Red Laser Performance of Pr:LiGdF4 Crystal

We demonstrate the temperature-dependent fluorescence properties of Pr：LiGdF4 crystal tor the first time, to the best of our knowledge, and its blue diode pumped cw red laser at 720 nm at room temperature. The fluorescence lifetime and polarized emission cross sections in the visible range are measured and calculated in a temperature range from 77K to 300 K, and the variations of the fluorescence lifetime and spectra are discovered. The reasons for these changes are explained accordingly. The output wavelength of the 720nm laser is first reported on the laser performance by using a fiber-coupled laser diode at the wavelength of 442nm as the pump source, and the maximum cw output power is about 303roW.