Development of compact and efficient diode-pumped, solid-state lasers for use in portable LIDAR and satellites

• Grant number: 12/11437-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Niklaus Ursus Wetter
• Grantee: Niklaus Ursus Wetter
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Research on diode-pumped solid-state lasers began at the Centro de Lasers e Aplicações (CLA) in 1996 propelled by a FAPESP Jovem Pesquisador project. Nowadays, this research has become an established technology that already generated three patents. The technology is based on the Nd:YLF gain crystal, which shows good characteristics in terms of Q-switched operation given its favorable upper level lifetime and excellent beam characteristics, but also shows low fracture threshold. At the center of above patents is a new laser resonator with the highest efficiency already reported in the literature, which is very compact, robust and cost efficient.The CLA also hosts a LIDAR group that has a strong field research going on and is closely collaborating with NASA for monitoring wild fires in the amazon basin. Traditionally, the LIDAR groups works closely together with our laser development laboratory and requires nowadays lasers for field research and NASA that are extremely efficient, compact and robust (standalone lasers) and with high Q-switched output power.However, demands are increasingly for continuous lasers, wavelength diversity and eye-safety. Continuously Q-switched lasers are used for low power high-data rate acquisitions that are employed in micro-LIDAR systems, wavelength diversity is important for aerosol size determination and eye-safety is a general demand from society. This project proposes oxide crystals for continuous operation and wavelength diversity by operating also on the 4F3/2 - 4I13/2 (1310nm-1370nm) and 4F3/2 - 4I9/2 (903nm-946nm) transitions. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

WETTER, NIKLAUS U.; DEANA, ALESSANDRO M.. Influence of pump bandwidth on the efficiency of side-pumped, double-beam mode-controlled lasers: establishing a new record for Nd:YLiF4 lasers using VBG. Optics Express, v. 23, n. 7, p. 9379-9387, APR 6 2015. (12/11437-8)

DEANA, ALESSANDRO M.; LOPEZ, MARCIO A. P. A.; WETTER, NIKLAUS U.. Diode-side-pumped Nd:YLF laser emitting at 1313 nm based on DBMC technology. OPTICS LETTERS, v. 38, n. 20, p. 4088-4091, OCT 15 2013. (12/11437-8)

PINTO, R. S.; WETTER, N. U.. Highly efficient, dynamically stable Nd: YAG single-rod resonators with 60% TEM00 extraction efficiency and high misalignment stability. Laser Physics, v. 24, n. 8, AUG 2014. (12/11437-8)