Development of a passively Q-switched eye-safe microchip laser for pulsed laser range-finding

Peter Seidl; Josef Koelbl; Benedikt Schloder; Jens Ebbecke

doi:10.1117/12.3016713

20 June 2024 Development of a passively Q-switched eye-safe microchip laser for pulsed laser range-finding

Peter Seidl, Josef Koelbl, Benedikt Schloder, Jens Ebbecke

Proceedings Volume 13003, Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications IV; 1300302 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3016713
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2024, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

Microchip lasers emitting at 1535nm are a valued tool for laser range-finding owing to their compactness, increased eye-safety, and ability to generate short laser pulses. We present the development of a longitudinally diode-pumped, passively Q-switched eye-safe laser utilizing an Er³⁺ and Yb³⁺ doped phosphate laser glass and a Co²⁺:MgAl₂O₄ crystal acting as a saturable absorber. The laser and its solid-state components are designed to produce 5 ns short laser pulses at 1535 nm. The design process is aided by analytical expressions derived from the coupled laser rate equations, which are also solved numerically. For verification, an experimental setup of the passively Q-switched laser emitting at 1535nm is built and several measurements will be presented, including the laser pulse duration, the pulse energy statistics, and the transverse intensity profile of the passively Q-switched laser. Very good agreement is achieved between the predicted and measured laser pulse duration with a lowest obtained value of 7.3 ns. The maximum laser pulse energy is 15.7 μJ in lowest-order transverse mode operation of the laser.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Peter Seidl, Josef Koelbl, Benedikt Schloder, and Jens Ebbecke "Development of a passively Q-switched eye-safe microchip laser for pulsed laser range-finding", Proc. SPIE 13003, Fiber Lasers and Glass Photonics: Materials through Applications IV, 1300302 (20 June 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3016713

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available