V. È. Kisel', V. G. Shcherbitskii, N. V. Kuleshov, L. I. Postnova, V. I. Levchenko, B. I. Galagan, B. I. Denker, S. E. Sverchkov, “Passive <i>Q</i> switches for a diode-pumped erbium glass laser”, Kvantovaya Elektronika, 2005, Volume 35, Number 7,Pages <nobr>611

This article is cited in 13 papers

Control of laser radiation parameters

Passive Q switches for a diode-pumped erbium glass laser

V. È. Kisel'^a, V. G. Shcherbitskii^a, N. V. Kuleshov^a, L. I. Postnova^b, V. I. Levchenko^b, B. I. Galagan^c, B. I. Denker^c, S. E. Sverchkov^c

^a Belarusian National Technical University, Minsk
^b Institute of Solid State Physics and Semiconductors NASB, Minsk
^c Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Abstract: A diode-pumped, passively Q-switched 1.54-μm erbium glass laser is studied. Zinc selenide (ZnSe) crystals doped with Co²⁺ and Cr²⁺ ions and magnesium–aluminium spinel (MgAl₂O₄) crystals doped with Co²⁺ ions were used as saturable absorbers in Q switches. It is shown that, depending on the type of a saturable absorber, the pump power, and the resonator design, the laser pulse energy can vary from 0.2 to 13 μJ, the pulse duration from 16 to 980 ns, and the pulse repetition rate from 0.1 to 30 kHz.

PACS: 42.55.Rz, 42.60.Gd, 42.70.Mp

Received: 31.03.2005
Revised: 17.05.2005