PULSED LASERS :

Q-SWITCHING AND MODE LOCKING

Pulsed lasers are valuable when PEAK
(or instantaneous) POWER rather than
average power is most important.
Examples: Nonlinear photochemical
processes where
RATE I
n ( integer > 1)
PEAK POWER
P
t (FWHM)
time
If E = pulse energy (J), then
141
Peak Power
t
E

Average Power =
E/pulse

(PRF) frequency
repetition pulse
pulses/sec #
EXAMPLE
A KrF laser ( = 248 nm) produces
pulses having energies of 250 mJ
and temporal widths of 20 ns at a
PRF of 80 Hz.
142
Peak Power =
ns 20
mJ 250
= 12.5 MW
Average Power =
4
1
J 80 s
1
= 20 W !
Pulsing a laser may also be a
necessity if the threshold pumping
power (specific power loading:
W-cm
3
) cannot be long sustained.
143
EXAMPLE : KrF Again

SE
= 2.6
2

TH
= 3 10
3
cm
1
N
TH
= 1.2 10
13
cm
3

SP
= (A
21
)
1
= 5 10
9
s
Formation efficiency for upper laser
level = 15%
Threshold Pump Power
! cm kW 14
~
h N
3
form SP
TH

144
Approaches to Pulsing Lasers
1. Pulsing the excitation itself;
requires high power electronics;
typically high peak power but low
PRF (and low average power).
2. Q-switching
3. Mode-locking Operate laser
CW but, with optics, can induce
laser to produce a train of short
pulses; active or passive mode-
locking.
145
Q-SWITCHING
The idea is simple: Spoil the Q of an
optical cavity, allowing N to rise
well above N
TH
.
Then, restore Q suddenly
Giant Pulse!
EXAMPLE : Spinning Mirror
Gain
146
Although Q-switching does not
produce the shortest pulses available
(mode-locking does that), it has
several advantages:
1. Its inexpensive!
2. Easy to implement
3. Efficient in extracting energy
stored in upper laser level.
Gain
Fast Shutter
147
1. Pump at low rate with shutter
closed to prevent lasing.
2. N rises to > N
TH
3. Open shutter, laser oscillation
builds up rapidly.
4. 2 1 stimulated transitions
deplete N quickly and
efficiently.
Shutter Pump
Laser medium
A
R
1
R
2
L
l
148
5. N can go below N
TH
before
pulse terminates.
6. Close shutter.
Shutter
opens
Time
10
9
-10
6
s
10
3
-1s
N
TH
149
Analysis of Q-Switching
L
l

0
,
R
1
R
2
Immediately after the shutter opens,
the intensity I grows from the
noise as
I(z) = I
0
e

z

dt
dI
= I
and
I
n
c
dt
dz
dz
dI
dt
dI

,
_

150
Letting
total number of photons
circulating in the optical cavity, then

mirrors
and to
due losses
p
) (s constant
growth
temporal
L n
c
dt
d
1

l
Only this fraction is
amplified at any given
time.
where

p
= photon lifetime
=
1
2
2 1
e R R 1
c
nL 2

'

l
Define
151
=
p
t

(dimensionless time)
and so

'

1
L n
c
d
d
p
l
But
1
p
L
c
n
when 0
d
d

l

TH

'

'

1
N
N
1
d
d
TH TH
(1)
152
Note, however, that for each 2 1
stimulated transition that occurs, N
changes by 2.

TH
N
N
2
d
) N ( d

(2)
# of photons
generated by induced
emission per unit of
normalized time
153
n
i
= N (t = 0)
n
f
= N (t )
154
PULSED LASERS : Q-Switching &
Mode Locking
I. METHODS TO PRODUCE SHORT LASER
PULSES
A. Pulsed lasers typically have
higher peak power (though
perhaps lower average power)
than continuous wave CW
lasers.
1. Pulse lasers having high
peak power are useful for
a. Nonlinear processes
(such as multiphoton
ionization) which scale
as E
n
, n > 1.
155
b. Processes which are
intensity (as opposed
to fluence) driven such
as photochemistry.
2. Pulsed system are typically
required if the laser has a
high threshold gain.
3. EXAMPLE : KrF Laser at 247
nm. (5 eV)
Stimulated emission cross section:
2.6 10
16
cm
2
.
Threshold gain: 0.003 cm
1
Threshold inversion:
1.2 10
13
cm
3
Radiative lifetime: 5 10
9
s
Formation efficiency of upper level:
15%
156
Threshold pump power:
P =
3
form s
upper
cm
kW 14 h
N

B. Methods to produce pulsed

lasers
1. Pulsed application of pump
a. Requires high power
electronics
b. Typically high peak
power, low rep rate
2. Q-Switch
a. Store energy in laser
medium while cavity is
blocked
b. Unblock cavity; extract
power
3. Mode locking
157
a. Actually operate laser as
a CW device, but trick
laser into outputting
power in a series of short
pulses.
b. Active or passive.
158
Q-SWITCHING
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Q-switching is a technique
whereby one controls the Q
or feedback of the optical
cavity.
1. Generate short pulses of
high peak power.
2. Pump the laser and build up
an inversion over long
periods; extract over short
periods.
159
B. In a typical CW laser, one
cannot operate with N >
(N)
threshold
. Therefore, the
laser power will always be
low.
Start pumping
threshold
N
laser
time
C. In a Q-switch laser, one
prevents laser oscillation,
thereby allowing N to grow
larger than (N)
threshold
. The
160
laser is then turned on, and
power is rapidly extracted.
D. Typical sequence of events.
Mirror Mirror
Gain
medium
Shutter
161
j Pump at low rate with cavity
blocked to prevent laser oscillation.
k Generate N > (N)
TH
.
l Unblock cavity to allow laser
oscillation.
m Laser pulse extracts power from
inversion, driving N < (N)
TH
(absorption).
n Laser pulse terminates.
o Close shutter.
162
Time
10
9
-10
6
s
10
3
-1s
(N)
TH
(N) I
j
k
l
m
j
n
o
II. DERIVATION OF Q-SWITCHING
BEHAVIOR
A. We have a laser cavity with
output mirror reflectivity R,
length L. The average photon
lifetime in the cavity is
163
) d 2 exp( R R T T 1
c
nL 2
) RoundTrip / Loss Fractional (
c
nL 2
2 1
2
2
2
1
c


Laser medium
R
1
R
2
L
d
T
1
T
2

n = index of refraction
B. Since most Q-switched laser
pulses are very short, we can
ignore any additional pumping
or loss from laser levels during
the laser pulse other than by
saturation. When the Q-switch
is opened,
I
n
c
dt
dz
dz
dI
dt
dI
laser

,
_

164
The total number of photons in
the cavity changes as

,
_

,
_

c
1
L
d
n
c
dt
d
Only this fraction is
amplified at any given time.
c
ower
h
P

165