Development of a High Efficiency Q-Switched Glass Laser via Sol-Gel Processing
Abstract
Neodymium-doped silica glass is the most desirable glass for Q- switched and amplifier applications due to broad transmission range, a low nonlinear refractive index, low CTE, high lasing efficiency at room temperature, possibility of large size media and possible use of sensitizers to increase energy efficiency. However, preparation of such a glass by conventional melting requires very high temperature resulting in deleterious contamination from the melting crucible. Addition of fluxes to lower the melting temperature however degrades the physical and the optical properties of the glass. Sol-gel technology is a novel way of fabricating glass without melting. This process uses silicon alkoxides for making a sol which is cast into a gel. Heat treatment of this gel at high temperature (still much lower than melting) results in glass. This study explored the fabrication of Nd-doped silica glass by two different sol-gel techniques, namely, mixing and impregnation. The latter process, which requires impregnation of an Nd-containing solution into an ultraporous dehydroxylated silica matrix, was successfully developed. A buffer element, Al, was used to prevent cluster quenching of the fluorescence lifetime of the laser glass. Crack-free monolithic disks of 3.0 weight % Nd2O3 in silica glass (about 12 mm in diameter and 4 mm in thickness), which had fluorescence lifetimes of about 300 microsec, were fabricated reproducibly.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 30, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA230450
Entities
People
- Jean-luc Nogues
- Vinay K. Seth
- William V. Moreshead