Effective Pumping Scheme for Nd:YAG Lasers

Maik Frede
Martina Brendel, Carsten Fallnich, Ralf Wilhelm, Ivo Zawischa, Prof. Herbert Welling

Laser Zentrum Hannover Aug. 2001

LSC Meeting-Hanford LIGO-G010360-00-Z

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Introduction
reduction of thermal effects is one of the main assignments also by diode pumped laser systems first intention for high power laser design must be the reduction of heat generation prevent thermal load before compensation is necessary one possibility is an efficient pumping scheme minimize Stokes factor loss maximize quantum efficiency direct pumping to the upper lasing level

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Absorption Spectrum of Nd:YAG

1,0 0,9

Nd:Yag 1% at

14000

energy [cm ]

-1

0,8 0,7 0,6

12000 10000 8000

H9/2 F 5/2 4 F 3/2

4

11502 R2 11414 R1

[mm ]

0,5 0,4 0,3 0,2 0,1 0,0 0,80

6000 4000 2000

-1

I 15 /2 I 13 /2 I 11/2 I 9/2

lasing

Z1-R2

2526 Y 6 2001 Y 1

Z2-R1 / Z3-R2

ground

848 Z 5 0 Z1

0,82

0,84

0,86

0,88

0,90

[m]

pumping at 0.885 m 30% less Stokes shift higher quantum efficiency [1]
[1] R.Lavi,S.Jackel,Y.Tzuk Enhanced performance of Nd:YAG by direct pumping from thermally exited ground state levels directly to the upper lasing level.
LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Effective Absorption by Laser Diode Pumping

pump light is not monochromatic in consideration of the spectral width from the pump diodes the absorption must be a function of these width simulating pump light propagation through the laser crystal shows the absorption change
pumplight

Nd:Yag propagation

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Effective Absorption at 0.807 m Pumping

simulation further information mf@lzh.de

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Effective Absorption at 0.885 m Pumping

simulation further information mf@lzh.de

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Absorbed Pump Power Density

0.807 m
1

0.885 m
fixed effective absorption propagating effective absorption fixed peak absorption pump power density
1

pump power density

0,1

0,1

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

absorption legth

absorption length

calculation with effective absorption is necessary dependence between fixed and changing absorption is negligible
LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Availability
885 nm pump sources are available from: Coherent released product Dilas expected in near future Opto Power expected in near future Jenoptik expected in near future high doped laser crystals (2% at) to compensate the lower absorption are available from: FEE

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

Experiments
fluorescence experiments with a Ti:Sa source shows identically fluorescence spectrum from Nd:YAG at diverent pump wavelength the first laser experiments shows maximum laser power at pumping with 885 nm

to investigate if 885 nm pumping is scalable to high power a

885 nm pumping Nd:YAG laser system will be build up

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01

conclusion
0.885 m is a real alternative to traditional 0.808 m pumping a heating reduction of nearly 40% can be achieved laser diodes at 0.885 m are available high doped laser crystals to compensate the lower absorption are available

pumping to the upper lasing level can be a real possibility

to scale Nd:Yag laser systems to higher power

LZH

M.Frede Aug.01