Lasers bombeados por diodo semicondutor emitindo em 1mm têm diversas aplicações. Para muitas destas aplicações é desejado um feixe laser com uma boa qualidade e alta potência. Um dos maiores problemas encontrado quando se utiliza altas potências de bombeamento é a forte lente térmica gerada no meio ativo. Neste trabalho estuda-se um laser de Nd:YVO4 bombeado transversalmente por diodo laser em regime contínuo. Este tipo de bombeamento possibilita aproveitar o alto coeficiente de absorção do cristal tornando possível a obtenção de altas eficiências. Duas configurações de ressonadores foram estudadas. A primeira com uma dobra em ângulo rasante na superfície de bombeamento do cristal e a segunda com duas dobras nesta mesma face. Um laser de 22 watts de potência de saída e eficiência angular de 74% foi obtido com a primeira configuração sob um bombeamento de 35 watts. A qualidade do modo era de M2 = 26 ´ 11, na horizontal e na vertical, respectivamente. Uma melhora significativa na qualidade do feixe foi demonstrada quando feita a segunda dobra dentro do cristal. Uma potência de 17 watts foi atingida com essa configuração com qualidade de feixe de M2 = 3,4 ´ 3,7, na horizontal e na vertical, respectivamente. / Within the existing variety of laser cavity geometries and gain materials there is one combination that is particularly interesting because of its reduced complexity and high efficiency: the edge-pumped slab-laser using grazing-incidence geometry and a gain media with a very high pump absorption cross-section. In this work we studied a diode side-pumped Nd:YVO4 cw laser. We describe a single and a multiple bounce laser configurations. We demonstrate 22 W of multimode output power for 35 watts of pump power with a single pass through the gain media. A high optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 63% and a slope efficiency of 74% with a very compact and simple Nd:YVO4 cavity that uses joint stability zones was achieved. The beam quality was M2 = 26 ´ 11 in the horizontal and vertical direction, respectively. With a double pass configuration we achieved 17 watts with a better beam quality of M2 = 3,4 ´ 3,7, in the horizontal and vertical direction, respectively.

The diploma thesis deals with design of the converter card for the precise control of a laser diode. At first, there are described the principles of the laser diode, photodiode and basic functions of optical fiber sensors. Following chapter deals with description of developed converter card. In the diploma thesis are discussed all function blocks of the converter card and they are explained in detail. In the thesis are subsequently tested all problem parts of the converter card for the precise control of the laser diode, such as fast switching of the current flowing through the laser diode and design of the connection for evaluating of current pulse from the sensing photodiode. An integral part of thesis is a description of created printed circuit board and there are described all used layers and devices’ layout on the PCB. Final part of the diploma thesis deals with firmware for the microcontroller, which was made for testing of all function blocks of the converter card for the precise control of a laser diode. At the same time was developed software for PC, which communicates with the converter card via universal serial bus (USB).

Lasers sintonizáveis ao redor de 2,3 μm são interessantes para várias áreas, como detecção de gases, sensoriamento remoto e aplicações médicas. O túlio é o principal sistema entre os lasers de terras-raras com essa emissão e pode ser bombeado diretamente ou por meio de um sensibilizador como o itérbio. Neste trabalho, apresenta-se a obtenção de um laser de Yb:Tm:YLF com emissão de 620 mW em 2,3 μm bombeado em 960 nm por diodo-laser de 20 W do tipo barra em regime quase-contínuo. Investiga-se o bombeamento de um cristal de Tm:YLF em 685 nm e obtém-se de forma inédita um laser de Yb:Tm:YLF bombeado simultaneamente em 685 e 960 nm. Demonstra-se teórica e experimentamente sua maior eficiência em relação ao bombeamento apenas por 960 nm. Por meio de simulações numéricas e soluções analíticas, mostra-se a melhor relação de potência de bombeamento de cada comprimento de onda para se otimizar o laser. / Tunable lasers emitting around 2.3 μm region are important in many areas, like gas detection, remote sensing and medical applications. Thulium has a large emission spectra around 2.3 μm with demonstrated tuning range of 2.2-2.45 μm using the YLF host. For efficient pump absorption, a high concentration sensitizer like ytterbium can be used. We demonstrate quasi-cw operation of the Yb:Tm:YLF laser, pumped at 960 nm with a 20 W diode bar achieving the highest output power reported so far of 620 mW. Simultaneous pumping of the 2.3mm Yb:Tm:YLF laser at 685 nm and 960 nm is demonstrated, showing higher slope efficiency than 960 nm alone. Numerical simulations and analytical models show the best ratio of pump power between both wavelengths.

Lasers sintonizáveis ao redor de 2,3 μm são interessantes para várias áreas, como detecção de gases, sensoriamento remoto e aplicações médicas. O túlio é o principal sistema entre os lasers de terras-raras com essa emissão e pode ser bombeado diretamente ou por meio de um sensibilizador como o itérbio. Neste trabalho, apresenta-se a obtenção de um laser de Yb:Tm:YLF com emissão de 620 mW em 2,3 μm bombeado em 960 nm por diodo-laser de 20 W do tipo barra em regime quase-contínuo. Investiga-se o bombeamento de um cristal de Tm:YLF em 685 nm e obtém-se de forma inédita um laser de Yb:Tm:YLF bombeado simultaneamente em 685 e 960 nm. Demonstra-se teórica e experimentamente sua maior eficiência em relação ao bombeamento apenas por 960 nm. Por meio de simulações numéricas e soluções analíticas, mostra-se a melhor relação de potência de bombeamento de cada comprimento de onda para se otimizar o laser. / Tunable lasers emitting around 2.3 μm region are important in many areas, like gas detection, remote sensing and medical applications. Thulium has a large emission spectra around 2.3 μm with demonstrated tuning range of 2.2-2.45 μm using the YLF host. For efficient pump absorption, a high concentration sensitizer like ytterbium can be used. We demonstrate quasi-cw operation of the Yb:Tm:YLF laser, pumped at 960 nm with a 20 W diode bar achieving the highest output power reported so far of 620 mW. Simultaneous pumping of the 2.3mm Yb:Tm:YLF laser at 685 nm and 960 nm is demonstrated, showing higher slope efficiency than 960 nm alone. Numerical simulations and analytical models show the best ratio of pump power between both wavelengths.

Ces dernières années les semi-conducteurs à base de InGaN sont devenus attractifs pour des applications d'éclairage. Les sources blanches à base de LED sont de plus en plus utilisées en raison de leur petite taille, leur longue durée de vie et leur faible consommation d'énergie. Malheureusement les LED utilisées dans ces dispositifs subissent une perte de rendement quantique externe quand leur courant d'alimentation augmente. Ceci se traduit par un décalage du maximum d'émission ainsi qu'un élargissement spectral. Ces variations d'émission impactent la conversion de lumière bleue en lumière blanche, ce qui diminue l'efficacité du procédé. Une méthode alternative pour obtenir de la lumière blanche en travaillant à forte puissance serait l'utilisation de diodes laser (DL) à la place des LED. Contrairement aux LED, elles sont moins affectées par les pertes d'efficacité. La puissance lumineuse et le rendement quantique externe des diodes laser augmentent linéairement avec le courant d'alimentation, ce qui maintient la stabilité de la lumière blanche produite. / In past few years InGaN-based semiconductors have attracted much more attention for application in solid-state lighting sources. Recently, their usage is constantly increasing on worldwide market. High-brightness white LEDs have been used due to their size, long life and energy saving. However, LEDs used in light sources suffer from a loss in external quantum efficiency as an operating current increases. This loss may lead to a shift in peak emission wavelength and broadening of emission spectrum. Laser diodes, in contrary to LEDs, do not suffer this loss. The output power increases linearly with injection current. Moreover, they can reach higher luminosity, for the same power, than LEDs. Additionally, laser-based devices can be operated in reflection mode, allowing for the phosphor to be placed on a reflection substrate that may also act as a heat sink to effectively dissipate heat away from the phosphor.

This paper have investigated the dual polarization oscillations (DPO) and associated dynamical behaviors in laser-diode-pumped microchip Nd:GdVO4 laser. Some optical properties of Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, and Nd:GdVO4 laser materials are compared. The higher thermal conductivity of Nd:YAG makes it suitable for higher-power applications. The larger stimulated-emission coefficient of Nd:YVO4 material makes it favorable for increasing light-light conversion efficiency. However, Nd:GdVO4 material has high thermal conductivity and large stimulated-emission coefficient. Many experiments done to study Nd:GdVO4 crystal¡¦s properties focused on the efficiency of high power generation. Orthogonal linearly-polarized emissions could be obtained in fluorescence spectrum of Nd:GdVO4, but DPO did not be observed in Nd:GdVO4 laser possessing a large fluorescence anisotropy with laser-diode pumping. In this paper, DPO on different transitions in laser-diode-pumped microchip Nd:GdVO4 are obtained for the first time. Furthermore, more effective generation of dual polarization oscillations is affected by the pumping conditions associated with different temperature gradient than different pumping power density. The results imply that DPO can be generated without having to use additional optical elements and Nd:GdVO4 material is suitable for the construction of compact DPO lasers. Laser properties including oscillation spectra, input-output characteristics, pump-dependent pattern formations and noise power spectra are studied experimentally. A poor mode matching between the pump beam and lasing beam results in the generation of high order transverse modes. The observed anti-phase dynamics have been explained in terms of the reduced three-dimensional cross-saturation of population inversions among orthogonally-polarized modes. The study of dynamics of microchip Nd:GdVO4 lasers under pump modulation has also been reported in this paper. Different phase correlations among laser modes are obtained by tuning the modulation frequency and amplitude. The observed dynamical states are reproduced theoretically by rate equations of multimode class-B lasers including the cross-saturation among individual modes and the pump modulation.

This thesis describes the development of III-Nitride materials for light emitting applications. The goals of this research were to create and optimize a green light emitting diode (LED) and laser diode (LD). Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was the technique used to grow the epitaxial structures for these devices. The active regions of III-Nitride based LEDs are composed of InₓGa₁₋ₓN, the bandgap of which can be tuned to attain the desired wavelength depending on the percent composition of Indium. An issue with this design is that the optimal growth temperature of InGaN is lower than that of GaN, making the growth temperature of the top p-layers critical to the device performance. Thus, an InGaN:Mg layer was used as the hole injection and p-contact layers for a green led, which can be grown at a lower temperature than GaN:Mg in order to maintain the integrity of the active region. However, the use of InGaN comes with its own set of drawbacks, specifically the formation of V-defects. Several methods were investigated to suppress these defects such as graded p-layers, short period supper lattices, and native GaN substrates. As a result, LEDs emitting at ~532 nm were realized. The epitaxial structure for a III-Nitride LD is more complicated than that of an LED, and so it faces many of the same technical challenges and then some. Strain engineering and defect reduction were the primary focuses of optimization in this study. Superlattice based cladding layers, native GaN substrates, InGaN waveguides, and doping optimization were all utilized to lower the probability of defect formation. This thesis reports on the realization of a 454 nm LD, with higher wavelength devices to follow the same developmental path.

No description available.

No description available.

Le phénomène d’interférométrie par réinjection optique, ou effet self-mixing dans un laser permet de concevoir des capteurs non-invasifs, auto-alignés, ne nécessitant que peu d’éléments optiques et simples à implémenter. Ce type de capteur permet de mesurer avec la précision propre à l’interférométrie laser le déplacement, la vitesse ou la position de cibles dite coopératives (cibles réfléchissantes ou fortement diffusantes). Dans cette étude, ce type de capteurs est appliqué à la mesure de profil d’écoulement des fluides dans des microcanaux. Le faible coût et la polyvalence des capteurs à réinjection optique sont d’un grand intérêt dans l’industrie biomédicale et chimique, ainsi que pour la recherche en mécanique des fluides. Dans un premier temps, et en se basant sur les études réalisées dans des macro-canaux, nous avons proposé un modèle d’interferométrie par réinjection optique dans une diode laser lorsque la cible est constitué de particules en mouvement, en suspension dans un liquide. A partir de ce modèle, nous avons étudié expérimentalement l’impact du volume de mesure ainsi que du type de particules (taille et concentration) sur le signal mesuré. Nous avons ensuite proposé des méthodes de traitement du signal permettant de calculer le calcul du débit du fluide, ainsi que sous certaines conditions identifiées, la vitesse locale en tout point d’un microcanal. Ces études préliminaires nous ont permis de reconstruire le profil d’écoulement de différents liquides dans des canaux de 320µm de diamètre. Enfin, nous avons comparé les performances du capteur développé dans cette thèse avec un capteur basé sur la technique du Dual-Slit, technique déjà validée pour la microfluidique, en mesurant le profil d’écoulement dans un canal à section rectangulaire de 100x20µm. / The phenomenon of optical feedback interferometry (OFI) or self-mixing effect in a laser is used to design non-invasive and self-aligned sensors, requiring only few optical elements and simple to implement. This type of sensor is used to measure the displacement, velocity or position of cooperative targets (reflective or strongly scattering targets). In this study, this phenomenom is applied to the measurement of fluid flow profile in microchannels. The low cost and versatility of optical feedback sensors are of great interest in biomedical and chemical industry as well as research in fluid mechanics. Based on studies in macro-channels, we proposed first a theoretical model of OFI in a laser diode when the target consists of moving particles suspended in a liquid. Based on this model, we then studied experimentally the impact of the sensor’s sensing volume and the type of particles (size and concentration) on the OFI signal. We then proposed signal processing methods for calculating the fluid flow rate, as well as the local velocity at any point in a microchannel. These preliminary studies allowed us to reconstruct the flow profile of different liquids flowing in a circular channel of 320μm diameter. Finally, we compared the performance of the sensor developed in this thesis with a sensor based on the Dual-Slit technique, which has been already validated for microchannels, by measuring the flow profile in a rectangular shaped channel (100x20µm).