Challenges in designing and building a high energy, pulsed diode-pumped MWIR Fe:ZnSe laser

Binh Do; Laryssa Skolnik; Jay Skolnik; Thong Nguyen

doi:10.1117/12.2648099

8 March 2023 Challenges in designing and building a high energy, pulsed diode-pumped MWIR Fe:ZnSe laser

Binh Do, Laryssa Skolnik, Jay Skolnik, Thong Nguyen

Proceedings Volume 12399, Solid State Lasers XXXII: Technology and Devices; 123990A (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2648099
Event: SPIE LASE, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We discuss the design of a pulsed, Joule class diode-pumped MWIR Fe:ZnSe laser with M2 ≤ 1.3. We go over the challenges in the process of designing the diode-pumped 2.94 μm Er:YAG laser, which is used to pump the Fe:ZnSe laser - from the abnormal behavior in the lifetimes of the upper and lower lasing states, to the self-pumping process that exists in the highly doped Er:YAG crystal, which makes this laser work. We will discuss the process which leads to the size of the laser rod and how to determine the wavelength of the laser diodes, which pump the laser rod. We also review the challenges in the designing and building of the MWIR Fe:ZnSe laser itself - the factor which limits the maximum pulse energy and how to solve it, along with the lasing wavelength versus the temperature of the Fe:ZnSe crystal, the astigmatic issue of this laser and its solution. Finally, we go over the energy scaling prospect of the Er:YAG pump laser and the Fe:ZnSe laser.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Binh Do, Laryssa Skolnik, Jay Skolnik, and Thong Nguyen "Challenges in designing and building a high energy, pulsed diode-pumped MWIR Fe:ZnSe laser", Proc. SPIE 12399, Solid State Lasers XXXII: Technology and Devices, 123990A (8 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2648099

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