Widely tunable narrowband mid-infrared coherent sources, realized using optical parametric oscillators, play an essential role in spectroscopic investigations. A part of mid-infrared spectral region is a “fingerprint range” of solid-state materials, therefore, narrow linewidth is a particularly important feature. The most suitable linewidth of radiation to satisfy the required resolution for spectroscopy of solids is 2‒6 cm-1. The biggest challenge for the developer of the laser source is meeting customers’ needs and providing numerous parameters simultaneously from a single device: broad spectral range, high spectral resolution, fast wavelength tuning, high repetition rate, stable beam direction, nearly diffraction-limited divergence, etc. All this should be provided throughout the entire operational spectral range. These features are relevant for many applications, especially for Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM). This presentation will describe the architecture and applications of EKSPLA's broadly tunable commercial ns and ps laser sources, from 2 to 18 μm based on OP-GaAs fan-type gratings and other mid-infrared OPO nonlinear crystals. The advantages and limitations of the crystals in different narrowband OPO setups will be presented.
We present our recent developments in fiber-based technologies that enable unique high energy and average power ultrafast laser operation regimes. A patented all-fiber front-end incorporates dual-wavelength pulse generation of signal and pump pulses for high intensity OPCPA systems [1]. A newly introduced all-in-fiber active fiber loop (AFL) technology allows to form bursts of ultrashort seed pulses with any desired pulse repetition rate and any number of pulses in a burst with identical intra-burst pulse separation. Furthermore, the AFL introduces the ability to build systems with tunable pulse durations from a few hundred femtoseconds to picoseconds and even up to the nanosecond range. Novel fiber technologies were implemented into a high energy pump laser for a few-cycle mid-IR OPCPA system to produce unprecedented performance and output parameters for high-field science applications.
Broadband Sum Frequency Generation (BB-SFG) spectrometer is a complete solution for femtosecond vibrational spectroscopy designed and manufactured by EKSPLA. System produces optically coupled femtosecond broadband midinfrared pulse covering the spectral range of the molecular "fingerprint" region and narrowband visible pulse which are directed to the sample to produce sum frequency signal. Ultrashort pulses of high intensity allow to get better signal to noise ratio using lower pulse energy thus reducing the possibility of sample modification. It is especially important for aqueous and biological samples. Single measurement can cover up to 800 cm-1 bandwidth which shortens the measurement time and lets obtaining spectrum of the same sample state at the beginning and at the end of measurement, which can be different in case of scanning. The design of BB-SFG helps to overcome the main shortcoming of common broadband SFG spectrometers: a complex and energy inefficient narrowband visible pulse channel formation. We use a single all-fiber mode-locked oscillator to generate ultrashort pulses for both broadband femtosecond mid-IR and narrowband picosecond visible channels. Up to 10 μJ energy tunable broadband (>300 cm-1) pulses in 2.5-10 μm spectral range are mixed at the sample with less than 2 cm-1 bandwidth visible (532 nm) picosecond pulses in order to produce SFG signal at kHz repetition rates. Real-time spectral scanning technique allows even broader simultaneous spectral acquisition.
We demonstrated a 100 W class hybrid laser system based on fiber seed laser and two free-space end-pumped Yb:YAG amplifiers capable of delivering record high pulse energy in a rod-type active medium setup operating at room temperature. The achieved output pulse energy was <10 mJ at 10 kHz pulse repetition rate. The output pulses of 1.09 ps duration were close to Fourier transform-limit. The output beam quality remained high (M2 < 1.3) despite being affected by thermally induced stress in the gain medium.
In this work we present a novel concept of compact broadband high resolution sum frequency generation spectroscopy system. Multiple channel picosecond fiber laser was used as a seed for narrowband (~1.5 cm-1 ) and broadband ultrafast radiation sources. In order to achieve >500 cm-1 linewidth widely tunable microjoule-level pulses in MIR spectral region (2 - 10 μm) broadband femtosecond source optimization was performed. Numerical simulations of various schemes with different nonlinear crystals and experimental results were presented and compared.
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