Laser Engineering

A.K. Nath
Date: 10-08-2011

Modes of Operation of Laser
* Continuous Wave (CW)
* Pulsed Mode
*
* Mode-locked + Pulse Compression
Time
Free Running Laser
Relaxation Oscillation
Pump duration is longer
than the Cavity Decay Time
Laser pulses= 10s s spikes
on ms pulse envelop
Pump Pulse
Gain
Lose
Line
Laser
Pulse
Total pulse
duration= 0.1-20ms
dN/dt = I.N
0
I.o.N /hv N/t
2

dI/dt = I.o.N.c I/t
c
Methods of Pulsed Laser Operation
Q-Switched Laser
Q- Quality Factor of Optical Resonator
High-Q: Low Cavity Loss
Low Q: High Cavity Loss
Switching from Low Q (High Cavity
Loss) to High-Q( Low Cavity Loss)
Q-switch involves
* Preventing the laser from lasing until
pumping is over, and
* Abruptly allowing the laser to lase
when the population inversion is max.
Laser pulse rise time is limited by the
switching time and the peak power
depends on the initial population
inversion N
max
.
Laser pulse fall time depends upon the
cavity photon decay time, t
c

Time
Q-Switched
Laser Pulse
Cavity
Loss-
Curve
Q-Switched Laser Pulse: 1-100ns
Electro-Optic Effect
Change in the optical properties of a
material in response to an electric field
Refractive Index = f (E)
V
/4
Plane
Polarized
Beam
Plane
Polarized
Beam
Plane
Polarized
Beam
Circularly
Polarized
Beam
Two orthogonal
polarized rays have
different velocities.
Emerging rays have
phase difference
Applied Voltage
V
/4
t/2 Phase difference
Plane Polarized Beam
Circularly Polarized Beam
V
/2
t Phase difference
Plane Polarization rotates by 90
0

Round trip with V
/4
Voltage
Plane Polarization rotates by 90
0

Two Types of Electro-Optic Effects:
1. Pockels Effect: Change in refractive
index An = n
e
n
o
E Electric Field










Electro-optic Materials
Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP)
Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP)
Potassium dideuterium phosphate (KD
*
P)
Lithium niobate (LN)
2. Kerr effect : Change in refractive index An E
2
Refractive Index in presence of Intense Laser Beam n = n
0
+n
2
.I
where n
2
- the second-order nonlinear refractive index,
I Laser Beam Intensity
The refractive index change is proportional to the intensity of the light traveling
through the medium.
I
n
Focusing
Effect
Acousto- Optic Effect
Sound wave (series of
compressions and
rarefactions ) traveling
through a transparent
material, causes
periodic variations of
the index of refraction.
Light beam traveling
through the periodic
varying refractive
index gets diffracted:
Acousto- Optic Effect
Piezoelectric
Intensity of undeflected beam
reduces i.e. loss is introduced
Methods of Q-Switching
A. Passive Q-Switch: Saturable Absorber
Dye: Two Level System
Ex.; Cryptocynine Dye
Advantages:
* No external power/control required
Disadvantage:
* Slow Switch
* Decomposition of Dye
Low Intensity Hi-Intensity
I
T
0
1
B. Active Q-Switch:
An external signal used
a. Rotating Mirror
RPM~24000
b. Mechanical Shutter
Simple, No Hi-Voltage
Slow-Switching
Transmission
Curve of
Saturable Dye
C. Electro-Optic Q-Switch
When Electrical Voltage is applied on Crystals such as Potassium Dihydrogen
Phosphate (KDP), they become anisotropic, ie. Birefringent Electro-optic Effect
When there is no E-voltage-No change in direction /state of Polarization
With applied E-voltage- Direction / state of polarization changes
V
0
E-O
Switch
Polarizer
Laser Active
Medium
Mirror
Output Coupling
Mirror
Loss Switched by switching-off Hi-Voltage
- Fast Switch - Precise control
- Low loss in No-voltage condition
In round-trip through the E-O switch with voltage on the polarization rotates
by t/2 angle. Polarizer reflects out the rotated polarized light
Pump
V
/4
Cavity Dumping:
Laser Pulse Rise time in Q-Switched Laser:
Switching time of Q-Switch device &
Initial Population Inversion
Fall Time ~ 5-6 t
c ;
Several 10s ns
t
c
=Cavity Photon Decay Time
= 1/c[a-(1/2L)lnR
1
.R
2
]
Q-Switched
Laser pulse
Time
L
a
s
e
r

P
o
w
e
r

A-O
Switch
Cavity Dumping Process:
With high Q, Laser Power is
allowed to build to the maximum.
At the maximum laser power Q is
reduced to almost zero by
deflecting the beam either by E-O
or A-O Switch out of the laser
cavity.
Entire laser energy inside cavity
comes out in nearly single round
trip time t
rt
, a few ns.
Laser Action on Multiple
Longitudinal Modes:
Longitudinal Modes in
random phases
Out of phase Out of phase
In phase
LOCKED phases for all the laser modes
Out of phase
RANDOM phase for all the laser modes
Irradiance vs. Time
Mode Locking:
Mode Locking
( )
( 1) / 2 ( 1) / 2
( 1) / 2 ( 1) / 2
exp ( ) ( )
N N
n m ax n m
n N m N
A A j n m t j t t e
+
= =
(
(


= + =

( )
{ }
( 1) / 2 ( 1) / 2 ( 1) / 2
2
( 1) / 2 ( 1) / 2
exp exp ( ) ( )
N N N
n n m ax n m
n N m n n N
A A A j n m t j t t e
+ +
= = =
(
( =


+

Random phases
Multimode lasing
( )
( 1) / 2
0
( 1) / 2
( ) exp ( )
N
n ax n
N
E t A j n j t e e

(

= + +

2
2
ax
rt
FSR t
t
e
t
= =
A
e
( )
2
( 1) / 2
2
0
( 1) / 2
( ) ~ ( ) exp ( )
N
n ax n
N
S t E t A j n t j t e e

(
=

= + +

0
2
n
n
S A S ~ =

( )
0
n m
j t
e

=
S
t
S
e=2t.f = 2t.Av
c
Locked phases
0 0
( 1) / 2
( 1) / 2
( ) ( )
n ax
N
j t j t j jn t
n e
N
E t e A e e E t e
e e e

= =

( 1) / 2
( 1) / 2
( )
n ax
N
j jn t
e n
N
E t A e e
e

=

Equal amplitudes and phases
, 0
n n
A A = =
( 1) / 2
( 1) / 2
( 1) / 2
sin( / 2) 1
( )
1 sin( / 2)
ax
ax ax
ax
jN t N
jn t j N t
ax
e
j t
N
ax
N t e
E t A e Ae A
e t
e
e e
e
e
e

= = =

2
2
2
sin ( / 2)
( ) ~
sin ( / 2)
ax
ax
N t
S t A
t
e
e
,min
12
1
~
p
t
v A
Minimum pulse length
t
p
t
rt
= 2L/c
Max. no, of modes N
max
~ Av
12
.t
rt
Peak Power = N
2
.A
2
Average Power = N.A
2
N- No. of Lasing modes
Mode-Locked Laser
Several Longitudinal modes each
separated by Av
c
= c/2L can lase
Usually they are in random-phases
Laser output is incoherent
superimposition of intensities of
several lasing modes.

Locking the phases of all laser
longitudinal modes yield a train of
Ultra-short laser pulses
Laser pulse duration is limited by
laser emission / gain bandwidth,
t
p
> 1/Av
s
Laser pulses are separation the
round-trip time of the cavity

Random Phases
Phase Locked
Random
Phase
Random
Phase
Round-trip time
t
rt
= 2nL/c
Laser Pulse
Duration =
t
p
~ 1/Av
s
Requirement for generating Short-duration Laser Pulse:
Large Gain Bandwidth
Mechanism for Mode-locking
Gain bandwidth of Different Lasers:
CO
2
Laser: 50MHz
He-Ne Laser : 1.5GHz
Nd:YAG Laser: 1200GHz t
p
~ ps

Dye Laser: 40THz t
p
~ 25fs
Ti-Sapphire Laser: 100THz t
p
~ 10fs
Typical Cavity mode separation
Av
c
= c/2L =3x10
10
/ 30 = 10
9
Hz = 1GHz
Mode-locking Techniques:
1. Saturable Absorber
2. Electro-optic Modulator
3. Acousto-optic Modulator
Modulators provide low-loss at
a frequency = 1/t
rt
M
1
M
2
Laser
Saturable
Absorber
Polarizer
EOM/AOM
Active mode-locking: the electro-optic modulator
V
If V = 0, the pulse polarization
doesnt change.
Laser pulse builds up and
output pulse comes out
If V = V
/4
, the pulse plane polarization switches to circular polarization & in
return pass it becomes plane polarized, but 90 rotated.
Polarizer deflects the pulse out of optic axis- thus introduces loss
Applying a sinusoidal voltage yields sinusoidal modulation to cavity loss and when
voltage is zero, loss is minimum and laser pulse comes out.

Modulation frequency, fm = 1/t
rt ,
t
rt
= Round trip time = 2nL/c, n = Av. refractive index
Pockels cell
Polarizer
,
t
rt
= Round trip
time = 2nL/c
Laser
medium
Active mode-locking: the acousto-optic modulator
Sinusoidally modulating the acoustic wave amplitude at round-trip
frequency yields mode-locked laser pulses.
Quartz
Diffracted
Beam (Loss)
Acoustic
transducer
Pressure, density, and refractive-index variations due to acoustic wave
Output
beam
Laser
medium
,
t
rt
= Round trip
time = 2nL/c
Laser Mode Locking with Kerr Lens
Kerr Lens
Mode-locking
HR
PR
Laser Medium
Pump
Aperture
Without
Mode-locking
With
Mode-locking
GVD Compensation
GVD can be compensated if optical pathlength is different for blue and red
components of the pulse.
0
R B
R |
If OR + RR > OB, GVD < 0
Diffraction grating compensator
Prism compensator
Wavelength
tuning mask
Red component of the pulse
propagates in glass more than the
blue one and has longer optical
path (n x L).
Pump
HR
Gain
OC
Mode-locking

Mechanism
Dispersion
Compensation
Components of ultrafast laser system
Kerr Lens
Mode-locking
Ti-Sapphire:
Kerr Medium
| v+
| v|
Typical fs Oscillator
GVDC
Active medium
(Also Kerr medium)
From the pump
laser
Wavelength
tuning mask
Typical Ti: Sapphire fs Oscillator Layout
Tuning range 690-1050 nm
Pulse duration > 5 fs (typically
50 -100 fs)
Pulse energy < 10 nJ
Repetition rate 40 1000 MHz
(determined by the cavity length)
Pump source:
Ar-ion laser (488+514 nm)
DPSS CW YAG laser (532 nm)
Typical applications:
time-resolved emission studies,
multi-photon absorption spectroscopy
and imaging
O. Zvelto, Principles of lasers, Plenum, NY (2004)
Amplification of fs Pulses
Oscillator Stretcher Amplifier Compressor
Stretch femtosecond oscillator pulse by ~100 times
Pulse stretched exploiting frequency dispersion is called Chirped Pulse
Amplify
Recompress amplified pulse
Concept:
Issue-2: Shorter pulse High Peak power Damage of Laser Medium
Due to high intensity, fs pulses can not be amplified as is.
Femtosceond Laser: Chirped pulse amplification
High Precision Alignment of
optical components
High cost
Expert for maintenance
Short Laser
pulse: Oscillator
Energy=mJ/pulse
10-100kHz
A few Watts
Summary:
*
* Mode-locking + Pulse Compression and Amplification