Development of a compact laser source for airborne countermeasures

Antoine Godard; Michel Lefebvre; Said A. Said Hassani; Pierre Galtier

doi:10.1117/12.737328

10 October 2007 Development of a compact laser source for airborne countermeasures

Antoine Godard, Michel Lefebvre, Said A. Said Hassani, Pierre Galtier

Proceedings Volume 6738, Technologies for Optical Countermeasures IV; 67380C (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.737328
Event: Optics/Photonics in Security and Defence, 2007, Florence, Italy

Abstract

We report on the development of a compact laser source devoted to airborne countermeasures. Several spectral lines are emitted simultaneously by the use of optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) pumped by a high repetition rate near-IR pulsed laser. The general architecture of the source is designed to locate the pump laser inside the aircraft while the conversion stages are positioned close to the orientation turret. In this purpose, OPOs whose typical volume is less than 100 cm³ are optimized to produce the required average power under high repetition rate pumping and the emitted output beam quality is typically 1.5 diffraction limited. The selection of the proper nonlinear material for each OPO is also a critical issue. ZnGeP₂ (ZGP) is currently the material of choice to operate where conventional nonlinear materials strongly absorb. In this context, the ZGP crystal growth has been investigated. The first samples with a good optical quality have been obtained and the preliminary results are discussed. In addition to countermeasure applications, we also discuss other Defence & Security issues that can be addressed by miniature OPOs such as biological and chemical detection.

Citation Download Citation

Antoine Godard, Michel Lefebvre, Said A. Said Hassani, and Pierre Galtier "Development of a compact laser source for airborne countermeasures", Proc. SPIE 6738, Technologies for Optical Countermeasures IV, 67380C (10 October 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.737328

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