OP-GaAs OPO pumped by 2µm Q-switched lasers: Tm;Ho:silica fiber laser and Ho:YAG laser

C. Kieleck; A. Hildenbrand; M. Eichhorn; D. Faye; E. Lallier; B. Gérard; S. D. Jackson

doi:10.1117/12.865217

12 October 2010 OP-GaAs OPO pumped by 2μm Q-switched lasers: Tm;Ho:silica fiber laser and Ho:YAG laser

C. Kieleck, A. Hildenbrand, M. Eichhorn, D. Faye, E. Lallier, B. Gérard, S. D. Jackson

Proceedings Volume 7836, Technologies for Optical Countermeasures VII; 783607 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.865217
Event: SPIE Security + Defence, 2010, Toulouse, France

Abstract

Improvement in hybrid vapour phase epitaxy growing techniques of quasi-phase-matched orientation-patterned GaAs (OP-GaAs) allows larger sample thickness and permits efficient operation as a mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator at Watt-level average output powers [1-3]. Especially its low absorption loss (- 0.01 cm^-1), its laser damage threshold comparable to ZGP (- 2 J/cm²) combined with a large nonlinear coefficient, a good thermal conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, and a wide transparency range (0.9-17 μm) are suitable properties for efficient non-critical phase matched OPOs. As there is no natural birefringence in GaAs, phase matching is independent of polarization and propagation direction, offering the ability to pump OP-GaAs with a variety of polarization states. Thus, even unpolarized or poorly polarized sources like simple fiber lasers have been efficiently used as pump sources [4-5]. The paper discuss the best OP-GaAs OPO results achieved, to our knowledge, using a Q-switched 2.09 μm Ho:YAG laser as pump source as well as results obtained with an OP-GaAs OPO directly pumped by a 2.09 μm Q-switched Tm,Ho:silica fiber laser. With a 2.09 μm Q-switched Ho:YAG fiber laser pump source up to 2.9 W of average output power was achieved at 20 kHz repetition rate, 3.9 W at 40 kHz and 4.9 W at 50 kHz. With a 2.09 μm Q-switched Tm³⁺,Ho³⁺:silica fiber laser pump source, up to 2.2 W of average output power was achieved at 40 kHz repetition rate, 1.9 W at 60 kHz and 1.3 W at 75 kHz in the mid-infrared range.

Citation Download Citation

C. Kieleck, A. Hildenbrand, M. Eichhorn, D. Faye, E. Lallier, B. Gérard, and S. D. Jackson "OP-GaAs OPO pumped by 2μm Q-switched lasers: Tm;Ho:silica fiber laser and Ho:YAG laser", Proc. SPIE 7836, Technologies for Optical Countermeasures VII, 783607 (12 October 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.865217

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