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A diode-laser-pumped single-frequency thulium holmium yttrium lithium fluoride laser that exhibits a closed-loop stability of a few megahertz and a continuous single-mode tuning range of 800 MHz is described. The laser output power is 25 mW, and is tunable over about 8/cm at 25 C.
IR absorption using tunable diode laser spectroscopy provides a sensitive and quantitative detection method for laboratory kinetic studies of atmospheric trace gases. Improvements in multipass cell design, real time signal processing, and computer controlled data acquisition and analysis have extended the applicability of the technique. We have developed several optical systems using off-axis resonator mirror designs which maximize path length while minimizing both the sample volume and the interference fringes inherent in conventional 'White' cells. Computerized signal processing using rapid scan (300 kHz), sweep integration with 100 percent duty cycle allows substantial noise reduction while retaining the advantages of using direct absorption for absolute absorbance measurements and simultaneous detection of multiple species. Peak heights and areas are determined by curve fitting using nonlinear least square methods. We have applied these techniques to measurements of: (1) heterogeneous uptake chemistry of atmospheric trace gases (HCl, H2O2, and N2O5) on aqueous and sulfuric acid droplets; (2) vapor pressure measurements of nitric acid and water over prototypical stratospheric aerosol (nitric acid trihydrate) surfaces; and (3) discharge flow tube kinetic studies of the HO2 radical using isotopic labeling for product channel and mechanistic analysis. Results from each of these areas demonstrate the versatility of TDL absorption spectroscopy for atmospheric chemistry applications.
Phase noise of single mode laser diodes, either free-running or using line narrowing technique at room temperature, namely injection-locking, has been investigated. It is shown that free-running diodes exhibit very large excess phase noise, typically more than 80 dB above shot-noise at 10 MHz, which can be significantly reduced by the above-mentioned technique.
Tunable diode laser heterodyne spectrophotometry (TDLHS) has been used to make extremely high resolution (less than 0.0005/ cm) solar spectra in the 9.6 micron ozone band. Observations have shown that a signal-to-noise ratio of 95 : 1 (35% of theoretical) for an integration time of 1/8 second can be achieved at a resolution of 0.0005 wavenumbers. The spectral data have been inverted to yield a total column amount of ozone, in good agreement with that. measured at the nearby National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ozone monitoring facility in Boulder, Colorado.
A broadband external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) has been invented for use in spectroscopic surveys preparatory to optical detection of gases. Heretofore, commercially available ECDLs have been designed, in conjunction with sophisticated tuning assemblies, for narrow- band (and, typically, single-frequency) operation, as needed for high sensitivity and high spectral resolution in some gas-detection applications. However, for preparatory spectroscopic surveys, high sensitivity and narrow-band operation are not needed; in such cases, the present broadband ECDL offers a simpler, less-expensive, more-compact alternative to a commercial narrowband ECDL.
A method for determination of non-radiative carrier lifetimes in the waveguide and active regions of quantum well laser diodes is presented. This method is suitable for characterization of fully packaged devices and requires no special measurement equipment if the device structure is known. Furthermore, the proposed approach is experimentally demonstrated for several 800 nm laser diodes.
A substantial increase in output power levels for lead-salt diode lasers, through the development of improved fabrication methods, as demonstrated. The goal of 1 mW of CW, single-mode, single-ended power output, was achieved, with exceptional devices exhibiting values greater than 8 mW. It was found that the current tuning rate could be controlled by adjusting the p-n junction depth, allowing the tuning rate to be optimized for particular applications. An unexpected phenomenon was encountered when crystal composition was observed to be significantly altered by annealing at temperatures as low as 600 C; the composition was changed by transport of material through the vapor phase. This effect caused problems in obtaining diode lasers with the desired operating characteristics. It was discovered that the present packaging method introduces gross damaging effects in the laser crystal through pressure applied by the C-bend.
Compact, highly efficient, 3.0 to 3.4 m light emitters are in demand for spectroscopic analysis and identification of chemical substances (including methane and formaldehyde), infrared countermeasures technologies, and development of advanced infrared scene projectors. The need for these light emitters can be currently addressed either by bulky solid-state light emitters with limited power conversion efficiency, or cooled Interband Cascade (IC) semiconductor lasers. Researchers here have developed a breakthrough approach to fabrication of diode mid-IR lasers that have several advantages over IC lasers used for the Mars 2009 mission. This breakthrough is due to a novel design utilizing the strain-engineered quantum-well (QW) active region and quinternary barriers, and due to optimization of device material composition and growth conditions (growth temperatures and rates). However, in their present form, these GaSb-based laser diodes cannot be directly used as a part of sensor systems. The device spectrum is too broad to perform spectroscopic analysis of gas species, and operating currents and voltages are too high. In the current work, the emitters were fabricated as narrow-ridge waveguide index-guided lasers rather than broad stripe-gain guided multimode Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers as was done previously. These narrow-ridge waveguide mid-IR lasers exhibit much lower power consumptions, and can operate in a single spatial mode that is necessary for demonstration of single-mode distributed feedback (DBF) devices for spectroscopic applications. These lasers will enable a new generation of compact, tunable diode laser spectrometers with lower power consumption, reduced complexity, and significantly reduced development costs. These lasers can be used for the detection of HCN, C2H2, methane, and ethane.
Reliability and lifetime of quasi-CW laser diode arrays are greatly influenced by their thermal characteristics. This paper examines the thermal properties of laser diode arrays operating in long pulse duration regime.
Proposed semiconductor laser modulated at frequencies up to near its resonant frequency more efficiently than older devices. New laser uses two different effective carrier lifetimes: one for dc and lowfrequency operation and another for operation near resonant frequency. Laser part of bipolar transistor with capacitor that serves as ac short circuit.
Antiguide laser arrays have been fabricated and operated up to peak pulsed powers of 7.7 W in a beam with a full-width at half-maximum in the main lobe of 0.7 deg. Up to 0.7 W of continuous wave power is emitted into a radiation pattern 2.5 times the diffraction limit. By varying the temperature of the array to vary the operating wavelength of the device, the threshold gain condition of the array modes is altered, allowing thermal tuning of the far field of the device.
A method for designing a miniature laser-diode-pumped Nd-YAG laser amplifier based on total internal reflection and a multiple-pass slab geometry is described. This new design leads to a simple and practical configuration which allows multiple-pass amplification to be accomplished fairly easily by utilizing an optical arrangement with external mirrors. It is suggested that this type of miniature Nd-YAG amplifier combined with a laser diode-pumped Nd:YAG oscillator could result in an excellent laser-ranging source laser.
The development and application of tunable diode laser (TDL) absorption sensors to monitor the health and operating conditions in the large-scale 60 MW arc-heated- plasma wind-tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center is reported. The interactive heating facility (THF) produces re-entry flow conditions by expanding the gas heated in a constricted plasma arc-heater to flow at high velocity over a model located in a test cabin. This facility provides the conditions needed to test thermal protective systems for spacecraft re-entering the earth s atmosphere. TDL sensors are developed to monitor gas flows in both the high-temperature constricted flow and the supersonic expansion flow into test cabin. These sensors utilize wavelength-tuned diode lasers to measure absorption transitions of atomic oxygen near 777.2 nm, atomic nitrogen near 856.8 nm, and atomic copper near 793.3 nm. The oxygen and nitrogen sensors measure the population density in exited electronic states of these atoms. The measurements combined with the assumption of local thermal and chemical equilibrium yield gas temperature (typically near 7,000K). The nitrogen and oxygen population temperatures are redundant, and their close agreement provides an important test of the local thermal equilibrium assumption. These temperature sensors provide time-resolved monitors of the operating conditions of the arc-heater and can be used to verify and control the test conditions. An additional TDL sensor was developed to monitor the copper concentration in the arc-heater flow yielding values as high as 13 ppm. Measurements of copper in the flow can identify flow conditions with unacceptably rapid electrode erosion, and hence this sensor provides valuable information needed to schedule maintenance to avoid costly arc-heater failure. TDL sensors were also developed for measurements in the test cabin, where absorption measurements of the populations of argon and molecular nitrogen in excited metastable electronic states established that the number density of these excited species is much lower than estimated using frozen-chemistry approximations. This key finding suggests that in the post-expansion region there is not a significant energy sequestration in electronically excited species. Finally, TDL measurements of atomic potassium seeded into the test cabin flow were used to directly measure the static temperature of the test gas. The results of this study illustrate the high potential of time-resolved TDL measurements for routine and economical sensing of arc-heater health (gas temperature and electrode erosion) as well as the time-resolved test-cabin-flow conditions in front of the model.
The effects of neutron irradiation on several properties of both single and multiple stripe laser diodes have been examined. Prior to fast neutron irradiation, total light output as a function of laser current, threshold current, near-field pattern, far-field pattern, and laser output wavelength spectra were measured at room temperature. These measurements were then repeated at intermittent neutron fluence levels. It was observed that the threshold current increased with neutron fluence for all devices examined. In contrast, neutron irradiation had only an indirect effect on the remainder of the laser diode properties in that the higher currents required for operation after irradiation caused variations in these properties.
The output power from two ten-element laser diodes arrays has been efficiently summed in an external cavity to obtain a coherent, continuous wave beam. In this technique, laser emission from each front surface antireflection coated diode array is stimulated by injection of emission from a second such array. This method was also applied to single-element diode lasers. The output beam characteristics such as spectral distribution, far-field and near-field beam patterns, and overall efficiency have been measured.
Ball lenses used to collimate and focus pump light from array of diode lasers onto input face of solid-state laser. Experiments show ball lenses perform as well as, or better than, multiple-element lenses supplied heretofore as parts of commercial arrays of diode lasers. Offers advantages of relative simplicity and ease of fabrication, lower cost, lower weight, and less sensitivity to misalignment.
Center-frequency drift in diode lasers can be reduced by stabilizing the laser to an optical cavity with a low bandwidth feedback loop that acts on the injection current. Resonant optical feedback from a confocal or ring cavity can reduce high frequency noise, yielding linewidths in the 10 kHz range. With either an optical or an electronic lock to a cavity, the laser's wavelength is restricted to those regions that can be reached by temperature and current tuning of the solitary diode; this can be extended to full coverage by means of an extended cavity with a frequency-selective component, such as a diffraction grating.
Single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) laser diodes typically require a two-step epitaxial growth or use of a corrugated substrate. We demonstrate InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs DFB lasers fabricated from a single epitaxial growth using lateral evanescent coupling of the optical field to a surface grating etehed along the sides of the ridge. A CW threshold current of 25 mA and external quantum efficiency of 0.48 mW/mA per facet were measured for a 1 mm cavity length device with anti-reflection coated facets. Single-mode output powers as high as 11 mW per facet at 935 nm wavelength were attained. A coupling coefficient of at least 5.8/cm was calculated from the subthreshold spectrum taking into account the 2% residual facet reflectivity.