Efficient, high repetition-rate femtosecond blue source using a compact Cr:LiSAF laser

doi:10.1364/OE.10.000824

Optics Express

Editor: Michael Duncan
Vol. 10, Iss. 16 — Aug. 12, 2002
pp: 824–831

Efficient, high repetition-rate femtosecond blue source using a compact Cr:LiSAF laser

Ben Agate, A. Kemp, C. Brown, and W. Sibbett »View Author Affiliations

Optics Express, Vol. 10, Issue 16, pp. 824-831 (2002)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.10.000824

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Abstract

We present a practical route to designing a portable femtosecond blue light source that is rugged, compact and battery-powered. An optical-optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of 30% is reported using a diode-pumped, femtosecond Cr:LiSAF laser requiring only ~1.2W of electrical drive. 12mW of blue average power is generated using a 3mm KNbO₃ crystal in a simple, single-pass extracavity geometry. The corresponding electrical-blue efficiency of 1% is, to our knowledge, the highest reported efficiency of any femtosecond blue source. Despite conditions of large group velocity mismatch, we show that the temporally-broadened blue pulses remain well within the femtosecond regime, at ~540fs.

[Optical Society of America ]

OCIS Codes
(140.4050) Lasers and laser optics : Mode-locked lasers
(190.2620) Nonlinear optics : Harmonic generation and mixing
(190.7110) Nonlinear optics : Ultrafast nonlinear optics

ToC Category:
Research Papers

History
Original Manuscript: June 28, 2002
Revised Manuscript: August 1, 2002
Published: August 12, 2002

Citation
Ben Agate, A. Kemp, C. Brown, and W. Sibbett, "Efficient, high repetition-rate femtosecond blue source using a compact Cr:LiSAF laser," Opt. Express 10, 824-831 (2002)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-10-16-824

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References

S. Tsuda, W. H. Knox, and S. T. Cundiff, "High efficiency diode pumping of a saturable Bragg reflectormode-locked Cr:LiSAF femtosecond laser," Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 1538-1540 (1996). [CrossRef]
A. M. Weiner, A. M. Kan'an, and D. E. Leaird, "High-efficiency blue generation by frequency doubling of femtosecond pulses in a thick nonlinear crystal," Opt. Lett. 23, 1441-1443 (1998). [CrossRef]
J.-M. Hopkins, G. J. Valentine, B. Agate, A. J. Kemp, U. Keller, andW. Sibbett, "Highly Compact and Efficient Femtosecond Lasers," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 38, 360-368 (2002). [CrossRef]
B. Agate, B. Stormont, A. J. Kemp, C. T. A. Brown, U. Keller, andW. Sibbett, "Simplified cavity designs for efficient and compact femtosecond Cr:LiSAF lasers," Opt. Commun. 205, 207-213 (2002). [CrossRef]
J.-M. Hopkins, G. J. Valentine, W. Sibbett, J. A. der Au, F. Morier-Genoud, U. Keller, and A. Valster, "Efficient, low-noise, SESAM-based femtosecond Cr3+:LiSrAlF6 laser," Opt. Commun. 154, 54-58 (1998). [CrossRef]
U. Keller, K. Weingarten, F. Kartner, D. Kopf, B. Braun, I. Jung, R. Fluck, C. Honninger, N. Matuschek, and J. A. der Au, "Semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAM's) for femtosecond to nanosecond pulse generation in solid-state lasers," IEEE J. Selec. Top. Quantum Electron. 2, 435-453 (1996). [CrossRef]
D. Kopf, A. Prasad, G. Zhang, M. Moser, and U. Keller, "Broadly tunable femtosecond Cr:LiSAF laser," Opt. Lett. 22, 621-623 (1997). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
D. Kopf, G. J. Spuhler, K. J. Weingarten, and U. Keller, "Mode-locked laser cavities with a single prism for dispersion compensation," Appl. Opt. 35, 912-915 (1996). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
I. Biaggio, P. Kerkoc, L. S. Wu, P. Gunter, and B. Zysset, "Refractive-Indexes of Orthorhombic KNb03 .2. Phase-Matching Configurations for Nonlinear-Optical Interactions," J. Opt. Soc. Am B 9, 507 (1992). [CrossRef]
P. Loza-Alvarez, W. Sibbett, and D. T. Reid, "Autocorrelation of femtosecond pulses from 415-630nm using GaN laser diode," Electron. Lett. 36, 1-2 (2000). [CrossRef]
W. H. Glenn, �??Second harmonic generation by picosecond optical pulses,�?? IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-5, 284 (1969). [CrossRef]
J. Comly and E. Garmire, �??Second harmonic generation from short pulses,�??, Appl. Phys. Lett. 12, 7 (1968). [CrossRef]
S. Akhmanov et al, �??Non-stationary phenomena and space-time analogy in nonlinear optics,�?? Sov. Phys. JETP 28, 748 (1969).
G. D. Boyd and D. A. Kleinmann, "Parametric interactions of focused Gaussian light beams," J. Appl. Phys. 39, 3897-3641 (1968). [CrossRef]
W. Koechner, Solid-State Laser Engineering, 5ed (Springer, Berlin, 1999).

Appl. Opt.

D. Kopf, G. J. Spuhler, K. J. Weingarten, and U. Keller, "Mode-locked laser cavities with a single prism for dispersion compensation," Appl. Opt. 35, 912-915 (1996). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

S. Tsuda, W. H. Knox, and S. T. Cundiff, "High efficiency diode pumping of a saturable Bragg reflectormode-locked Cr:LiSAF femtosecond laser," Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 1538-1540 (1996). [CrossRef]
J. Comly and E. Garmire, �??Second harmonic generation from short pulses,�??, Appl. Phys. Lett. 12, 7 (1968). [CrossRef]

Electron. Lett.

P. Loza-Alvarez, W. Sibbett, and D. T. Reid, "Autocorrelation of femtosecond pulses from 415-630nm using GaN laser diode," Electron. Lett. 36, 1-2 (2000). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

W. H. Glenn, �??Second harmonic generation by picosecond optical pulses,�?? IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-5, 284 (1969). [CrossRef]
J.-M. Hopkins, G. J. Valentine, B. Agate, A. J. Kemp, U. Keller, andW. Sibbett, "Highly Compact and Efficient Femtosecond Lasers," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 38, 360-368 (2002). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Selec. Top. Quantum Electron.

U. Keller, K. Weingarten, F. Kartner, D. Kopf, B. Braun, I. Jung, R. Fluck, C. Honninger, N. Matuschek, and J. A. der Au, "Semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAM's) for femtosecond to nanosecond pulse generation in solid-state lasers," IEEE J. Selec. Top. Quantum Electron. 2, 435-453 (1996). [CrossRef]

J. Appl. Phys.

G. D. Boyd and D. A. Kleinmann, "Parametric interactions of focused Gaussian light beams," J. Appl. Phys. 39, 3897-3641 (1968). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am B

I. Biaggio, P. Kerkoc, L. S. Wu, P. Gunter, and B. Zysset, "Refractive-Indexes of Orthorhombic KNb03 .2. Phase-Matching Configurations for Nonlinear-Optical Interactions," J. Opt. Soc. Am B 9, 507 (1992). [CrossRef]

Opt. Commun.

B. Agate, B. Stormont, A. J. Kemp, C. T. A. Brown, U. Keller, andW. Sibbett, "Simplified cavity designs for efficient and compact femtosecond Cr:LiSAF lasers," Opt. Commun. 205, 207-213 (2002). [CrossRef]
J.-M. Hopkins, G. J. Valentine, W. Sibbett, J. A. der Au, F. Morier-Genoud, U. Keller, and A. Valster, "Efficient, low-noise, SESAM-based femtosecond Cr3+:LiSrAlF6 laser," Opt. Commun. 154, 54-58 (1998). [CrossRef]

Opt. Lett.

Sov. Phys. JETP

S. Akhmanov et al, �??Non-stationary phenomena and space-time analogy in nonlinear optics,�?? Sov. Phys. JETP 28, 748 (1969).

Other

W. Koechner, Solid-State Laser Engineering, 5ed (Springer, Berlin, 1999).

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