Determination of laser parameters of ytterbium-doped oxide crystalline materials

Spectroscopic and laser properties at ∼1 µm of seven new ytterbium-doped crystalline materials—silicates Y2SiO5,Ca2Al2SiO7,SrY4(SiO4)3O, borates Ca3Y2(BO3)4,Ca3Gd2(BO3)4,Sr3Y(BO3)3, and Ba3Lu(BO3)3— are investigated. Absorption and emission cross sections are strongly dependent on the crystalline host. Good agreement is obtained between emission cross sections calculated by the reciprocity method and by the Fuchtbauer–Ladenburg method. The wavelength dependence of the gain cross sections are also determined. Except for Ba3Lu(BO3)3, which is of poor crystalline quality, laser oscillations in a plano-concave cavity are obtained for all the presented hosts. From optical spectroscopy and laser results, large tunability of the emission is expected for these materials. Slope efficiencies are in the range 40%–60% with very low threshold values.

[1]  F. Auzel.  On the maximum splitting of the (2F7/2) ground state in Yb3+-doped solid state laser materials , 2001 .

[2]  William F. Krupke,et al.  Ytterbium-doped apatite-structure crystals: A new class of laser materials , 1994 .

[3]  Robert L. Byer,et al.  Modeling and CW operation of a quasi-three-level 946 nm Nd: YAG laser , 1987 .

[4]  P. Haumesser,et al.  Spectroscopic and crystal-field analysis of new Yb-doped laser materials , 2001 .

[5]  William F. Krukpe.  New laser materials for diode pumped solid state lasers , 1999 .

[6]  B. Aull,et al.  Vibronic interactions in Nd:YAG resulting in nonreciprocity of absorption and stimulated emission cross sections , 1982 .

[7]  Measuring the stimulated-emission cross-section: a case study in Nd:GGG , 2001 .

[8]  G. Boulon,et al.  New criteria to choose the best Yb3+-doped laser crystals , 2001 .

[9]  F. Balembois,et al.  Diode-pumped Yb:Sr(3)Y(BO(3))(3) femtosecond laser. , 2002, Optics letters.

[10]  John A. Caird,et al.  Quantum efficiency and excited-state relaxation dynamics in neodymium-doped phosphate laser glasses , 1991 .

[11]  Stephen A. Payne,et al.  Laser demonstration of Yb/sub 3/Al/sub 5/O/sub 12/ (YbAG) and materials properties of highly doped Yb:YAG , 2001 .

[12]  Lloyd L. Chase,et al.  Evaluation of absorption and emission properties of Yb/sup 3+/ doped crystals for laser applications , 1993 .

[13]  F. Balembois,et al.  Generation of 90-fs pulse from a modelocked diode-pumped Yb3+:Ca4GdO(BO3)3 laser , 2018 .

[14]  Gerard Aka,et al.  Czochralski growth of six Yb-doped double borate and silicate laser materials , 2001 .

[15]  S. Girard,et al.  Excited-state absorption spectroscopy of Er 3 + -doped Y 3 Al 5 O 12 , YVO 4 , and phosphate glass , 1999 .

[16]  A. Giesen,et al.  A 1-kW CW thin disc laser , 2000, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[17]  D. Vivien,et al.  Spectroscopy and efficient laser action from diode pumping of a new broadly tunable crystal: Yb 3+ :Sr 3 Y(BO 3 ) 3 , 2002 .

[18]  D. Findlay,et al.  The measurement of internal losses in 4-level lasers , 1966 .

[19]  D. Mccumber,et al.  Einstein Relations Connecting Broadband Emission and Absorption Spectra , 1964 .

[20]  C. Hönninger,et al.  Ultrafast ytterbium-doped bulk lasers and laser amplifiers , 1999 .

[21]  U. Keller,et al.  Diode-pumped femtosecond Yb:KGd(WO(4))(2) laser with 1.1-W average power. , 2000, Optics letters.

[22]  B. Ferrand,et al.  Optical and laser properties of Yb:Y2SiO5 single crystals and discussion of the figure of merit relevant to compare ytterbium-doped laser materials , 2002 .