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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

All-solid-state femtosecond Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiSGaF lasers

Critten, Matthew Peter January 1997 (has links)
This thesis describes the development of all-solid-state self-modelocked Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiSGaF lasers. Diode-pumped colquiriite lasers compare favourably with mainframe-pumped Ti:sapphire lasers, but the conflicting requirements of self-modelocking and pumping by broad-area diodes can cause problems. Two alternatives were investigated. Firstly, high Cr3+ doping permitted pumping in the Cr:LiSAF green absorption trough. Frequency-doubled Nd:YLF and Nd:YAG minilasers offer high-power, diffraction-limited beams in the green. The 'green problem' plagued both minilasers, however, and an Ar-ion pump laser was therefore also used. A laser utilising a 10%-doped AR-coated Cr:LiSAF crystal produced 30 mW output power at 320 mW pump, and 90 fs pulses at 859 nm and 86 MHz repetition rate. The self-modelocking threshold was 280 mW. A laser utilising a 22%-doped Brewster-angled crystal produced 120 mW output power at 1.1 W pump, and 72 fs pulses at 76 mW output. The self-modelocking threshold was 360 mW. 160 mW output was obtained by pumping the crystal at both ends to overcome thermal problems. Secondly, factors affecting CW and self-modelocking thresholds were considered; in particular, the effects of waist size, beam brightness, cavity configuration and intracavity dispersion. A Cr:LiSAF laser, pumped by a self-injection-locked diode, produced sub-100-fs pulses for just 73 mW pump. Its tuning curve was modulated by birefringence effects. The excellent free-running noise properties of the laser permitted a sub-picosecond streak camera evaluation. Two low-threshold lasers utilising low-loss Cr:LiSGaF were also developed. 87 fs pulses at 11.5 mW output power were produced from a Z-cavity laser for 170 mW pump. A laser utilising a compact 'retroreflector' three-minor cavity produced 84- fs pulses at 173 MHz repetition rate for 116 mW pump. Subsequent optimisation led to the production of sub-100-fs pulses for 40 mW pump, with self-modelocked operation demonstrated at pump powers as low as 21 mW.

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