Showing papers on "Laser published in 1997"

The Blue Laser Diode: GaN based Light Emitters and Lasers

Abstract: Physics of gallium nitrides and related compounds GaN growth p-Type GaN obtained by electron beam irradiation n-Type GaN p-Type GaN InGaN Zn and Si co-doped InGaN/AlGaN double-heterostructure blue and blue-green LEDs inGaN single-quantum-well structure LEDs room-temperature pulsed operation of laser diodes emission mechanisms of LEDs and LDs room temperature CW operation of InGaN MQW LDs latest results - lasers with self-organized InGaN quantum dots

Diode Lasers and Photonic Integrated Circuits

Abstract: Ingredients. A Phenomenological Approach to Diode Lasers. Mirrors and Resonators for Diode Lasers. Gain and Current Relations. Dynamic Effects. Perturbation and Coupled--Mode Theory. Dielectric Waveguides. Photonic Integrated Circuits. Appendices. Index.

Three-dimensional microfabrication with two-photon-absorbed photopolymerization.

Abstract: We propose a method for three-dimensional microfabrication with photopolymerization stimulated by two-photon absorption with a pulsed infrared laser An experimental system for the microfabrication has been developed with a Ti:sapphire laser whose oscillating wavelength and pulse width are 790 nm and 200 fs, respectively The usefulness of the proposed method has been verified by fabrication of several kinds of microstructure by use of a resin consisting of photoinitiators, urethane acrylate monomers, and urethane acrylate oligomers

Laser ablation and micromachining with ultrashort laser pulses

Abstract: The mechanisms of ultrashort-pulse laser ablation of materials are discussed, and the differences to that of long laser pulses are emphasized. Ultrashort laser pulses offer both high laser intensity and precise laser-induced breakdown threshold with reduced laser fluence. The ablation of materials with ultrashort pulses has a very limited heat-affected volume. The advantages of ultrashort laser pulses are applied in precision micromachining of various materials. Some femtosecond laser pulse micromachining results, including comparison with long pulses, are presented. Ultrashort-pulse laser micromachining may have a wide range of applications where micrometer and submicrometer feature sizes are required.

Two-dimensional birefringence imaging in biological tissue by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.

Abstract: Using a low-coherence Michelson interferometer, we measure two-dimensional images of optical birefringence in bovine tendon as a function of depth. Polarization-sensitive detection of the signal formed by interference of backscattered light from the sample and a mirror in the reference arm give the optical phase delay between light that is propagating along the fast and slow axes of the birefringent tendon. Images showing the change in birefringence in response to laser irradiation are presented. The technique permits rapid noncontact investigation of tissue structural properties through two-dimensional imaging of birefringence.

Ablation of metals by ultrashort laser pulses

Abstract: Ablation of metal targets by Ti:sapphire laser radiation is studied. The ablation depth per pulse is measured for laser pulse durations between 150 fs and 30 ps and fluences ranging from the ablation threshold ∼0.1 J/cm2 up to 10 J/cm2. Two different ablation regimes are observed for the first time. In both cases the ablation depth per pulse depends logarithmically on the laser fluence. A simple theoretical model for a qualitative description of the experimental results is presented.

Compression of high-energy laser pulses below 5 fs

Abstract: High-energy 20-fs pulses generated by a Ti:sapphire laser system were spectrally broadened to more than 250 nm by self-phase modulation in a hollow fiber filled with noble gases and subsequently compressed in a broadband high-throughput dispersive system. Pulses as short as 4.5 fs with energy up to 20-microJ were obtained with krypton, while pulses as short as 5 fs with energy up to 70 microJ were obtained with argon. These pulses are, to our knowledge, the shortest generated to date at multigigawatt peak powers.

Optical coherence tomography using a frequency-tunable optical source

Abstract: We have developed a simple, wide-optical-bandwidth, high-resolution system for performing rapid optical frequency domain reflectometry measurements and applied it to multidimensional tomographic imaging. The source is a grating-tuned external cavity semiconductor laser with a tuning capability of 25 nm in 100 ms. We discuss system performance and show a two-dimensional optical coherence tomography image of a thin glass sandwich structure as a preliminary demonstration of the systems depth and resolution capabilities.

Ultrashort-pulse fiber ring lasers

Abstract: This paper reviews recent progress on ultrashort pulse generation with erbium-doped fiber ring lasers. The passive mode-locking technique of polarization additive pulse mode-locking (P-APM) is used to generate stable, self- starting, sub-500 fs pulses at the fundamental repetition rate from a unidirectional fiber ring laser operating in the soliton regime. Saturation of the APM, spectral sideband genera- tion, and intracavity filtering are discussed. Harmonic mode- locking of fiber ring lasers with soliton pulse compression is addressed, and stability regions for the solitons are mapped and compared with theoretical predictions. The stretched- pulse laser, which incorporates segments of positive- and negative-dispersion fiber into the P-APM fiber ring, gen- erates shorter (sub-100 fs) pulses with broader bandwidths (> 65 nm) and higher pulse energies (up to 2: 7n J). We dis- cuss optimization of the net dispersion of the stretched-pulse laser, use of the APM rejection port as the laser output port, and frequency doubling for amplifier seed applications. We also review the analytical theory of the stretched-pulse laser as well as discuss the excellent noise characteristics of both the soliton and stretched-pulse lasers.

Ultrafast-laser driven micro-explosions in transparent materials

Abstract: We initiate micro-explosions inside fused silica, quartz, sapphire, and other transparent materials using tightly focused 100 fs laser pulses. In the micro-explosions, material is ejected from the center, forming a cavity surrounded by a region of compacted material. We examine the resulting structures with optical microscopy, diffraction, and atomic force microscopy of internal cross sections. We find the structures have a diameter of only 200–250 nm, which we attribute to strong self-focusing of the laser pulse. These experiments probe a unique regime of light propagation inside materials at intensities approaching 1021 W/m2, the electron ionization that accompanies it, and the material response to extreme pressure and temperature conditions. The micro-explosions also provide a novel technique for internal microstructuring of transparent materials.

Atomic physics with super-high intensity lasers

Abstract: We review the phenonomena which occur in multiphoton physics when the electric field of the applied laser radiation becomes comparable with the Coulomb field strength seen by an electron in the ground state of atomic hydrogen. This field is reached at an irradiance of approximately . The normal perturbative photon-by-photon based picture of the interaction of individual electrons with the field is replaced by a tunnelling picture in which, in a time of the order of, or less than one optical cycle, atomic wavepackets are generated which escape the confining Coulomb potential. These wavepackets are strongly influenced by the laser, `quiver' and may be accelerated back to the parent ion in a recollision process. Phase-coherent effects locked to the laser field become important: high harmonics are generated from these recollisions. We discuss the theory of such effects, and review progress in understanding how this quiver motion can be coherently controlled. We discuss ionization dynamics and review mechanisms by which atoms may be stabilized in very strong fields. Finally, we discuss relativistic effects which occur at very high-intensities.

High-power (>0.5-W CW) diode-pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers with circular TEM/sub 00/ beams

Abstract: We report demonstration of a new high-power semiconductor laser technology, the optically pumped semiconductor (OPS) vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL). Using diode laser pump, an OPS-VECSEL laser with a strain-compensated InGaAs-GaAsP-GaAs multiquantum-well (MQW) structure operated continuous-wave (CW) near /spl lambda//spl sim/1004 nm with record output power of 0.69 W in a TEM/sub 11/ mode, 0.52 W in a TEM/sub 00/ mode, and 0.37 W coupled to a single-mode fiber. It is feasible to produce greater than 1 W of power in a diffraction-limited circular beam from an efficient, compact, manufacturable and reliable OPS-VECSEL laser.

Generation of coherent soft x rays at 2.7 nm using high harmonics

Abstract: Ultrafast laser pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser centered at 800nm, with 26fs pulse duration, were used to generate coherent soft-x-ray harmonics, at wavelengths down to 2.7nm (460eV) in He, and 5.2nm (239eV) in Ne. In He, discrete harmonic peaks are observed up to order221, and unresolved harmonic emission is observed up to order297. These wavelengths are well within the {open_quotes}water window{close_quotes} region of x-ray transmission. Our work represents the shortest wavelength coherent light generated to date. The harmonic cutoff from all the noble gases is consistent with analytic theory. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Generation of Coherent X-rays in the Water Window Using 5-Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Abstract: Coherent extreme-ultraviolet radiation extending to wavelengths below the carbon K edge at 4.37 nanometers (nm) has been generated at a repetition rate of 1 kilohertz by focusing 5-femtosecond near-infrared (780 nm) laser pulses into a helium gas jet. The incident light field performs just a few oscillations, which results in the emission of an x-ray supercontinuum rather than discrete harmonics. Owing to the extremely short rise time of the driving pulses, neutral atoms can be exposed to high fields before they are depleted by ionization. As a result, the observed x-ray radiation extends well into the water window and is delivered in a well-collimated beam (divergence less than 1 milliradian). The high repetition rate and spatial coherence result in a brightness of about 5 × 108 photons per square millimeter per square milliradian per second in a 1-percent bandwidth at 4.37 nm, the carbon edge of the water window. The compact laboratory system holds promise as a source for biological holography and nonlinear optics in the x-ray regime.

Synthesis and control of conductivity of ultraviolet transmitting β-Ga2O3 single crystals

Abstract: β-Ga2O3 single crystals were grown by the floating zone method and their conductivity along the b axis was controlled from <10−9 to 38 Ω−1 cm−1 by changing the growth atmosphere. By using feed rods doped with Sn, the grown crystal became highly conductive even under oxidative atmosphere. The optical transmission spectra showed that the β-Ga2O3 single crystal with 0.32 mm was transparent in the visible and ultraviolet region, with 20% transmittance at the fourth-harmonic wave of the Nd:YAG laser (266 nm). The band-gap widening was observed with the increasing of the carrier concentration. It is expected that the light of the KrF laser can be transmitted in the heavily doped β-Ga2O3.

A study of picosecond laser–solid interactions up to 1019 W cm−2

Abstract: The interaction of a 1053 nm picosecond laser pulse with a solid target has been studied for focused intensities of up to 1019 W cm−2. The maximum ion energy cutoff Emax (which is related to the hot electron temperature) is in the range 1.0–12.0 MeV and is shown to scale as Emax≈I1/3. The hot electron temperatures were in the range 70–400 keV for intensities up to 5×1018 W cm−2 with an indication of a high absorption of laser energy. Measurements of x-ray/γ-ray bremsstrahlung emission suggest the existence of at least two electron temperatures. Collimation of the plasma flow has been observed by optical probing techniques.

Demonstration of 110 GHz electro-optic polymer modulators

Abstract: Electro-optic modulation up to 113 GHz has been demonstrated using traveling wave polymer modulators. The modulation signal was directly detected at 1.3 μm using a laser heterodyne system with an external-cavity tunable semiconductor laser. The device optical response variation, as a function of frequency over the whole W band, was within 3 dB. A well-matched coplanar probe was used to launch W band millimeter wave driving power into the microstrip line electrode on the device. Based upon these measurements, high speed electrodes with integrated millimeter wave transitions had been fabricated and tested.

GaInNAs: a novel material for long-wavelength semiconductor lasers

Abstract: GaInNAs was proposed and created in 1995 by the authors. It can be grown pseudomorphically on a GaAs substrate and is a light-emitting material having a bandgap energy suitable for long-wavelength laser diodes (1.3-1.55 /spl mu/m and longer wavelengths). By combining GaInNAs with GaAs or other wide-gap materials that can be grown on a GaAs substrate, a type-I band lineup is achieved and, thus, very deep quantum wells can be fabricated, especially in the conduction band. Since the electron overflow from the wells to the barrier layers at high temperatures can he suppressed, the novel material of GaInNAs is very attractive to overcome the poor temperature characteristics of conventional long-wavelength laser diodes used for optical fiber communication systems. GaInNAs with excellent crystallinity was grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy in which a nitrogen radical was used as the nitrogen source. GaInNAs was applied in both edge-emitting and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) in the long-wavelength range. In edge-emitting laser diodes, operation under room temperature continuous-wave (CW) conditions with record high temperature performance (T/sub 0/=126 K) was achieved. The optical and physical parameters, such as quantum efficiency and gain constant, are also systematically investigated to confirm the applicability of GaInNAs to laser diodes for optical fiber communications. In a VCSEL, successful lasing action was obtained under room-temperature (RT) CW conditions by photopumping with a low threshold pump intensity and a lasing wavelength of 1.22 /spl mu/m.

The role of recoil pressure in energy balance during laser materials processing

Abstract: A theoretical analysis of the energy balance in the laser - metal interaction zone is carried out. The heat transfer due to the recoil-pressure-induced melt flow is taken into consideration. It is shown that, for the absorbed laser intensities typical in welding and cutting, the recoil pressure induces high-velocity melt-flow ejection from the interaction zone. This melt flow carries away from the interaction zone a significant portion of the absorbed laser intensity (about 70 - 90% at low laser intensities); thus, convection-related terms can be ignored neither in calculations of the energy balance in the interaction zone nor in calculations of the thermal field in the vicinity of the weld pool or cutting front.

Laser action in organic semiconductor waveguide and double-heterostructure devices

Abstract: Stimulated emission by optical pumping of solid-state organic materials has been well known since the late 1960s following thefirst demonstrations of laser action in dye-doped gels and molecular crystals1,2,3,4. Interest in this field has been revived by the demonstration of efficient, long-lived and intense electroluminescence in both polymeric5 and small-molecular-weight6 organic thin films, which indicates the possibility of laser action in these materials. Several recent studies of optically pumped polymers have reported emission phenomena suggestive of laser action7,8,9. Here we present clear evidence for laser action from optically pumped, vacuum-deposited thin films of organic molecules, in both slab-waveguide and double-heterostructure configurations. This realization of laser action in conducting organic thin films should open the way to the development of a new class of electrically pumped laser diodes.

Laser printer with array of laser diodes

Abstract: The laser printer uses an array of laser diodes (11), a cross array of illuminating optical elements (21), a laser lens array (24), a light modulating array (40) and an integrator (23) that ensures that the modulator receives a uniform lighting effect. The cross array reduces the divergence of the laser diode emitters. The output is focussed by a printing lens onto the light sensitive medium.

Noiselike pulses with a broadband spectrum generated from an erbium-doped fiber laser.

Abstract: An erbium-doped fiber laser that produces a train of intense noiselike pulses with a broadband spectrum and a short coherence length is reported. The noiselike behavior was observed in the amplitude as well as in the phase of the pulses. The maximum spectral width obtained was 44 nm. The high intensity and the short coherence length of the light were maintained even after propagation through a long dispersive fiber. A theoretical model indicates that this mode of operation can be explained by the internal birefringence of the laser cavity combined with a nonlinear transmission element and the gain response of the fiber amplifier.

Shock waves from a water-confined laser-generated plasma

Abstract: Generation of a high amplitude shock wave by laser plasma in a water confinement regime has been investigated for an incident 25–30 ns/40 J/λ=1.064 μm pulsed laser beam. Experimental measurements of temporal and spatial profiles of induced shock waves for this regime of laser shock processing of materials were performed using a velocimetry interferometer system for any reflector system. Above a 10 GW/cm2 laser intensity threshold, a saturation of the peak pressure is shown to occur while the pressure pulse duration is reduced by parasitic plasma occurring in the confining water. The observation of the interaction zone with a fast camera system shows that this breakdown plasma, which mainly occurs at the very surface of the water rather than within the water volume, limits the efficiency of the process. This plasma absorbs the incident laser energy, and the power density reaching the target gradually decreases with increasing power densities while the shock-wave duration is correspondingly reduced. Both pr...

Self-focusing and guiding of short laser pulses in ionizing gases and plasmas

Abstract: Several features of intense, short-pulse (/spl lsim/1 ps) laser propagation in gases undergoing ionization and in plasmas are reviewed, discussed, and analyzed. The wave equations for laser pulse propagation in a gas undergoing ionization and in a plasma are derived. The source-dependent expansion method is discussed, which is a general method for solving the paraxial wave equation with nonlinear source terms. In gases, the propagation of high-power (near the critical power) laser pulses is considered including the effects of diffraction, nonlinear self-focusing, ionization, and plasma generation. Self-guided solutions and the stability of these solutions are discussed. In plasmas, optical guiding by relativistic effects, ponderomotive effects, and preformed density channels is considered. The self consistent plasma response is discussed, including plasma wave effects and instabilities such as self-modulation. Recent experiments on the guiding of laser pulses in gases and in plasmas are briefly summarized.

Cavity Ringdown Laser Absorption Spectroscopy: History, Development, and Application to Pulsed Molecular Beams.

Abstract: The measurement of electronic spectra of supersonically cooled molecules and clusters is a widely used approach for addressing many problems in chemistry. The most established techniques for making such measurements are laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI), and both have been employed very successfully in a large number of studies. However, both methods often fail for systems containing more than a few atoms, due to rapid internal conversion, predissociation, or other dynamical processes. Even for small systems, the vibronic band intensities are often contaminated by intramolecular relaxation dynamics; in such cases, these techniques cannot be used for reliable intensity measurements. For clusters that exhibit rapid photofragmentation, depletion spectroscopy can be employed quite effectively to measure their vibronic structure, but again, dynamic effects complicate the interpretation of spectra. The same considerations apply to other types of “action” spectroscopy. It would often be preferable to measure the electronic spectra of molecules and clusters in direct absorption, as this approach is the most straightforward and accurate means of determining absolute vibronic band intensities and for accessing states that are invisible to LIF or REMPI. The problem, of course, is that direct absorption methods are generally orders of magnitude less sensitive than the “action” techniques and are, therefore, difficult to apply to transient species, such as clusters or radicals. In this review, we describe a relatively new direct absorption technique that we have developed for measuring the electronic spectra of jet-cooled molecules and clusters with both high sensitivity and high spectral resolution. The method is based on measurement of the time rate of decay of a pulse of light trapped in a high reflectance optical cavity; we call it cavity ringdown laser absorption spectroscopy (CRLAS). In practice, pulsed laser light is injected into an optical cavity that is formed by a pair of highly reflective (R > 99.9%) mirrors. The small amount of light that is now trapped inside the cavity reflects back and forth between the two mirrors, with a small fraction (∼1 R) transmitting through each mirror with each pass. The resultant transmission of the circulating light is monitored at the output mirror as a function of time and allows the decay time of the cavity to be determined. A simple picture of the cavity decay event for the case where the laser pulse is temporally shorter than the cavity round trip transit time is presented in Figure 1. In this case, the intensity envelope of these discrete transmitted pulses exhibits a simple exponential decay. The time required for the cavity to decay to 1/e of the initial output pulse is called the “cavity ringdown” time. Determination of the ringdown time allows the absolute single pass transmission coefficient of the cavity to be determined with high accuracy, given the mirror spacing. The apparatus is converted to a sensitive absorption spectrometer simply by placing an absorbing medium between the two mirrors and recording the frequency dependent ringdown time of the cavity. Ideally, the ringdown time is a function of only the mirror reflectivities, cavity dimensions, and sample absorption. Absolute absorption intensities are obtained by subtracting the base-line transmission of the cavity, which is determined when the laser wavelength is off-resonance with all molecular transitions. † IBM Predoctoral Fellow. Current address: Sandia National Laboratories, M/S 9055, Livermore, CA 94551-0969. ‡ Los Gatos Research. 25 Chem. Rev. 1997, 97, 25−51

Capabilities of an Argon Fluoride 193 nm Excimer Laser for LaserAblation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectometry Microanalysis ofGeological Materials

Abstract: Recent developments in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) have demonstrated its potential for in situ microanalysis for major, minor and trace elements in solids, such as minerals. With the low backgrounds and high sensitivity of new ICP-MS instruments, limits of detection of 1–10 ng g -1 in a 40 µm ablation pit for many elements can be reached. Fractionation effects due to different ablation rates of various elements have prevented quantification without matrix-matched standards with 1064 nm Nd:YAG lasers. These effects have been reduced but not eliminated using shorter UV wavelengths ( e.g . a quadrupled Nd:YAG 266 nm). Excimer lasers with wavelengths below 200 nm are expected to reduce fractionation effects further, but they present a serious challenge to the design of optical systems, especially if high-resolution UV ablation needs to be combined with high quality visual observation, which is essential for the study of complex materials, such as geological samples. An LA system was developed using an homogenized UV laser beam (193 nm, Argon Fluoride excimer) with a common UV–visual objective on a modified petrographic microscope with reflected and transmitted light illumination, in combination with a Perkin-Elmer Elan 6000 ICP-MS instrument. The optical system allows imaging of both visible and UV laser light onto the sample surface at the same time. Laser operating parameters and their influence on the ablation process were investigated using NIST SRM 612/610. Fractionation effects due to differential ablation of various elements as a function of time can be reduced to interelement correlation coefficients of r =0.9 or better and have become insignificant within the precision of quadrupole ICP-MS using this new optical design. Energy densities and repetition rates need to be kept within limited ranges for accurate and reproducible determinations of trace elements such as Zn, U and Pb, which have previously presented strong fractionation problems. LA-ICP-MS determinations on natural hornblende, augite, and garnet, calibrated against NIST SRM 612 using any major element as an internal standard, agree well with independent literature data. These experiments with the Argon Fluoride 193 nm excimer system demonstrate a greatly reduced matrix dependence of the ablation process, which facilitates in situ analysis of unknown samples.

Distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers

Abstract: Pulsed single mode operation of distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers is reported above room temperature at both 5.4 and 8 μm wavelengths. Peak optical powers up to 60 mW at 300 K are obtained with a tuning range of ∼60 nm from 100 to ∼320 K. The linewidth is limited by thermal drift during the pulse with a typical value of 0.3 cm−1 for a 10 ns long pulse at 300 K.