Coupled cavity 13mJ mid-IR pulsed source using a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and KTA OPO followed by a CSP OPA

Brian Cole; Lew Goldberg; Kevin T. Zawilski; Leonard A. Pomeranz; Peter G. Schunemann

doi:10.1117/12.2585659

5 March 2021 Coupled cavity 13mJ mid-IR pulsed source using a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and KTA OPO followed by a CSP OPA

Brian Cole, Lew Goldberg, Kevin T. Zawilski, Leonard A. Pomeranz, Peter G. Schunemann

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11664, Solid State Lasers XXX: Technology and Devices; 116640A (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2585659
Event: SPIE LASE, 2021, Online Only

Abstract

We describe a compact mid-IR source utilizing an intracavity, non-critically phase matched potassium titanyle arsenate (KTA) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) placed inside a passively Q-switched (PQS), 1.064 µm Nd:YAG laser resonator. A 45-degree dichroic beam splitter was employed to split the 1.064 µm resonator leg from the 1.5 μm/3.5 μm KTA OPO cavity that was singly resonant for the 1.5 μm signal. The 20 mm long KTA crystal was placed in the shared-path section of both cavities, with the KTA OPO output coupler partially reflective at 1.5 μm, and highly transmitting at 3.5 μm. With the Nd:YAG pumped by a 3-λ 12-bar diode stack at 5 Hz PRF, the KTA OPO generated 23.1 mJ signal pulses at 1.5 μm and 9.8 mJ idler pulses at 3.5 μm. To further increase the 3.5 μm energy, a cadmium silicon phosphide (CSP) optical parametric amplifier (OPA), phase matched for 1.5 μm-pumped amplification of 3.5 μm radiation, was placed immediately after the KTA OPO output coupler. A maximum 3.5 μm pulse energy of 13.2 mJ was measured after the OPA, with an additional 4.2 mJ generated at 2.8 μm. The 3.5 μm pulses had a measured temporal duration (FWHM) of 27 ns, corresponding to a peak-power of approximately 490 kW. This paper will detail the Nd:YAG pumped intracavity KTA OPO / CSP OPA and optimization of its performance as a pulsed midIR source.

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Brian Cole, Lew Goldberg, Kevin T. Zawilski, Leonard A. Pomeranz, and Peter G. Schunemann "Coupled cavity 13mJ mid-IR pulsed source using a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and KTA OPO followed by a CSP OPA", Proc. SPIE 11664, Solid State Lasers XXX: Technology and Devices, 116640A (5 March 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2585659

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