Active Q-switch Tm:YLF based on electro-optic KLTN

Rotem Nahear; Yehuda Vidal; Salman Noach; Aharon J. Agranat

doi:10.1117/12.2548025

3 March 2020 Active Q-switch Tm:YLF based on electro-optic KLTN

Rotem Nahear, Yehuda Vidal, Salman Noach, Aharon J. Agranat

Proceedings Volume 11259, Solid State Lasers XXIX: Technology and Devices; 112590X (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2548025
Event: SPIE LASE, 2020, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Electro-optic active Q-switching in a Tm:YLF laser operating at 1.88 μm is demonstrated using a potassium lithium tantalate niobate (KLTN) crystal as the electro-optic medium. Upon approaching the ferroelectric phase transition temperature, KLTN manifests an exceptionally strong quadratic electro-optic effect. Operation with low driving voltages of 550V on a 3 mm wide and 2mm long crystal were demonstrated. Pulse energy of 1.4 mJ with 17 ns pulse duration was obtained at 1 kHz repetition rate with 9.5W incident pump power. A special trapezoidal configuration of the KLTN crystal was used in order to suppress the acousto-optic oscillations that are generated due to the strong electrostriction manifested in KLTN close to the phase transition temperature which lead to strong instabilities in the laser performance. New EO Q switching mechanism was implemented, in which the resonator gain rather than the loss was shifted between two levels by exploiting the different gain of the Tm:YLF crystal in the  and  polarizations. This obviated the need for inserting a polarizer in the laser cavity, and allowed the shortening of the laser cavity.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Rotem Nahear, Yehuda Vidal, Salman Noach, and Aharon J. Agranat "Active Q-switch Tm:YLF based on electro-optic KLTN", Proc. SPIE 11259, Solid State Lasers XXIX: Technology and Devices, 112590X (3 March 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2548025

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