A Passively Q-Switched, CW-Pumped Fe:ZnSe Laser

Abstract

We report the demonstration of high-average-power passively Q-switched laser oscillation from Fe2+ ions in zinc selenide. A semiconductor saturable absorber mirror was used as a passive Q-switch element. Using a 60% R outcoupler, the pump-limited output power was 515 mW. The spectral center of the laser was 4045 nm. The pulse repetition frequency (PRF) at maximum power was 850 kHz with a corresponding minimum pulsewidth of 64 ns Full-Width Half-Maximum. The pulse energy and peak power were >600 nJ and 8.3 W, respectively. The average output power was limited only by available pump power and increased with a slope efficiency of 22%. No thermal roll off of slope-efficiency was observed. The beam quality was measured to be M2 2.6. The temporal stability of the pulsed output was characterized. Thermal effects were shown to play a significant role in determining the PRF of the output.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA599597

Entities

People

  • Jonathan W. Evans
  • Kenneth L Schepler
  • Patrick A Berry

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Detectors
  • Efficiency
  • Electronics
  • Emission Spectra
  • Frequency
  • Infrared Lasers
  • Laser Mediums
  • Laser Resonators
  • Lasers
  • Light (Electromagnetic Radiation)
  • Military Research
  • Peak Power
  • Quantum Electronics
  • Semiconductors

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics