Cryogenic ceramic 277 watt Yb:YAG thin-disk laser

Natasa Vretenar; Tim C. Newell; Tyler Carson; William P. Latham; Phillip R. Peterson; Tim Lucas; Huseyin Bostanci; Jennifer J. Huddle-Lindauer; Benjamin A. Saarloos; Daniel P. Rini

doi:10.1117/1.OE.51.1.014201

9 February 2012 Cryogenic ceramic 277 watt Yb:YAG thin-disk laser

Natasa Vretenar, Tim C. Newell, Tyler Carson, William P. Latham, Phillip R. Peterson, Tim Lucas, Huseyin Bostanci, Jennifer J. Huddle-Lindauer, Benjamin A. Saarloos, Daniel P. Rini

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 51, Issue 1, 014201 (February 2012). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.1.014201

Abstract

A ceramic ytterbium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Yb:YAG) thin-disk laser is investigated at 15°C (288 K) and also at 80 K, where it behaves as a four-level laser. We introduce a new two-phase spray cooling method to cool the Yb:YAG. One system relies on R134a refrigerant while the other uses liquid nitrogen (LN₂). The use of two systems allows the same disk to be tested at the two temperatures. When the Yb:YAG is cooled from room to cryogenic temperatures, the lasing threshold drops from 155 W to near 10 W, while the slope efficiency increases from 54% to a 63%. A 277 W laser with 520 W of pump is demonstrated. We also model the thermal and structural properties at these two temperatures and estimate the beam quality.

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Natasa Vretenar, Tim C. Newell, Tyler Carson, William P. Latham, Phillip R. Peterson, Tim Lucas, Huseyin Bostanci, Jennifer J. Huddle-Lindauer, Benjamin A. Saarloos, and Daniel P. Rini "Cryogenic ceramic 277 watt Yb:YAG thin-disk laser," Optical Engineering 51(1), 014201 (9 February 2012). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.1.014201

Published: 9 February 2012

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