Compact Erbium-Glass Diode Pumping Laser Emitter with Acousto-Optic Q-Switching

The work focuses on the design method of erbium-glass pulse laser emitter, working in eye-safe wavelength range (1540 nm), with an acousto-optic crystal quartz shutter. The study shows that if the driving power supplied to the acousto-optic shutter is 25 W, diffraction efficiency can reach no less than 0.45 that can be considered as acceptable value for vibration damping in low gain active medium of erbium-glass laser. We used the system of active medium rate equations to create an erbium-glass laser model that can make optimization of laser emitter output characteristics. Within our research we designed and created an experimental model sample of erbium-glass acousto-optic shuttered laser, emitting pulses with duration 16 ns, energy 15 mJ and frequency 2...5 Hz. Findings of the research can be successfully used for perfection of pulse laser rangefinder characteristics

References

[1] Batov Yu.N., Gubin A.B., Pirozhkov Yu.B., Shapiro L.L. Thermal balance in compact pulsed erbium glass lasers with diode pumping. Journal of Optical Technology, 2002, vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 605–608. DOI: 10.1364/JOT.69.000605 Available at: https://www.osapublishing.org/jot/abstract.cfm?uri=jot-69-9-605

[2] Gagarskiy S.V., Galagan B.I., Denker B.I., Korchagin A.A., Osiko V.V., Prikhodko K.V., Sverchkov S.E. Diode-pumped ytterbium-erbium glass microlasers with optical Q-switching based on frustrated total internal reflection. Quantum Electronics, 2000, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 10–12. DOI: QE2000v030n01ABEH001647 Available at: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1070/QE2000v030n01ABEH001647

[3] Bufetova G.A., Nikolaev D.A., Seregin V.F., Shcherbakov I.A. Long pulse lasing with Q-switching by FTIR shutter. Physics of Solid State Lasers, 1999, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 314−318.

[4] Byshevskaya-Konopko L.O., Gubin A.B., Izyneev A.A., Pirozhkov Yu.B., Sadovskiy P.I. Erbium active elements with a slit stop. Journal of Optical Technology, 2014, vol. 81, no. 4, pp. 182–185. DOI: 10.1364/JOT.81.000182 Available at: https://www.osapublishing.org/jot/abstract.cfm?uri=jot-81-4-182

[5] Shachkin L.V. Passively Q-switched Yb, Er: Phosphate glass laser. Quantum Electronics, 2006, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 106–110. DOI: 10.1070/QE2006v036n02ABEH013110 Available at: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1070/QE2006v036n02ABEH013110/meta

[6] Bykov V.N., Izyneev A.A., Sadovoy A.G., Sadovskiy P.I., Sorokina O.A. Transversely diode-pumped passively Q-switched erbium glass laser emitter. Quantum Electronics, 2008, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 209–212. DOI: 10.1070/QE2008v038n03ABEH013588 Available at: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1070/QE2008v038n03ABEH013588/meta

[7] AO-1010. Kigre: company website. Available at: http://www.kigre.com/products/ao1010_datasheet.pdf (accessed 15.01.2017).

[8] Magdich L.N., Molchanov V.Ya. Akustoopticheskie ustroystva i ikh primeneniya [Acousto-optic devices and their application]. Moscow, Sovetskoe radio Publ., 1978. 112 p.

[9] Boutchenkov V., Kuchma I., Levoshkin A., Mak A., Petrov A., Holleman G. High efficiency diode-pumped Q-switch Yb:Er:Glass lasers. Optics Communications, 2000, vol. 177, no. 1-6, pp. 383−388. DOI: 10.1016/S0030-4018(00)00608-8 Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030401800006088

[10] Hodgson N., Weber H. Optical resonators: Fundamentals, advanced concepts, application. Springer, 2005. 794 p.

[11] Byshevskaya-Konopko L.O., Vorobyev I.L., Izyneev A.A., Sadovskiy P.I. Heat dissipation accompanying lamp pumping in an erbium active element. Journal of Optical Technology, 2013, vol. 80, no. 10, pp. 594–600. DOI: 10.1364/JOT.80.000594 Available at: http://itas2015.iitp.ru/pdf/1570177051.pdf (accessed: 07.12.2015).