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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 19, Iss. 21 — Oct. 10, 2011
  • pp: 20444–20461

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 19 > Issue 21 > Page 20444

Femtosecond Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiCAF lasers pumped by tapered diode lasers

Umit Demirbas, Michael Schmalz, Bernd Sumpf, Götz Erbert, Gale S. Petrich, Leslie A. Kolodziejski, James G. Fujimoto, Franz X. Kärtner, and Alfred Leitenstorfer  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue 21, pp. 20444-20461 (2011)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.19.020444


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Abstract

We report compact, low-cost and efficient Cr:Colquiriite lasers that are pumped by high brightness tapered laser diodes. The tapered laser diodes provided 1 to 1.2 W of output power around 675 nm, at an electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of about 30%. Using a single tapered diode laser as the pump source, we have demonstrated output powers of 500 mW and 410 mW together with slope efficiencies of 47% and 41% from continuous wave (cw) Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiCAF lasers, respectively. In cw mode-locked operation, sub-100-fs pulse trains with average power between 200 mW and 250 mW were obtained at repetition rates around 100 MHz. Upon pumping the Cr:Colquiriite lasers with two tapered laser diodes (one from each side of the crystal), we have observed scaling of cw powers to 850 mW in Cr:LiSAF and to 650 mW in Cr:LiCAF. From the double side pumped Cr:LiCAF laser, we have also obtained ~220 fs long pulses with 5.4 nJ of pulse energy at 77 MHz repetition rate. These are the highest energy levels reported from Cr:Colquiriite so far at these repetition rates. Our findings indicate that tapered diodes in the red spectral region are likely to become the standard pump source for Cr:Colquiriite lasers in the near future. Moreover, the simplified pumping scheme might facilitate efficient commercialization of Cr:Colquiriite systems, bearing the potential to significantly boost applications of cw and femtosecond lasers in this spectral region (750-1000 nm).

© 2011 OSA

OCIS Codes
(140.3460) Lasers and laser optics : Lasers
(140.3480) Lasers and laser optics : Lasers, diode-pumped
(140.3580) Lasers and laser optics : Lasers, solid-state
(140.4050) Lasers and laser optics : Mode-locked lasers
(140.5680) Lasers and laser optics : Rare earth and transition metal solid-state lasers

ToC Category:
Lasers and Laser Optics

History
Original Manuscript: July 14, 2011
Manuscript Accepted: August 22, 2011
Published: October 3, 2011

Citation
Umit Demirbas, Michael Schmalz, Bernd Sumpf, Götz Erbert, Gale S. Petrich, Leslie A. Kolodziejski, James G. Fujimoto, Franz X. Kärtner, and Alfred Leitenstorfer, "Femtosecond Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiCAF lasers pumped by tapered diode lasers," Opt. Express 19, 20444-20461 (2011)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-19-21-20444


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