Lithium niobate miniature lasers and single-crystal fibers

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5653947

Cordova-Plaza, A

LiNbO{sub 3} is a widely used optical material because of its excellent electro-optic and nonlinear properties. By doping LiNbO{sub 3} with an active ion such as Nd, laser oscillation and amplification are added to the panoply of LiNbO{sub 3} device possibilities. Furthermore, by providing LiNbO{sub 3} devices with the waveguide confinement of single-crystal fibers, their performance can be significantly improved. Chapter 1 introduces the subject. Chapter 2 is devoted to miniature continuous-wave Nd:MgO:LiNbO{sub 3} lasers. Important results are the first demonstration of room-temperature, true continuous-wave laser oscillation in Nd-doped LiNbO{sub 3} and the first demonstration of diode-pumped laser action in this material. The Nd:MgO:LiNbO{sub 3} lasers exhibited pump power thresholds (1.9 mW) and slope efficiencies (45%) that are among the state-of-the-art in solid state lasers. Chapter 2 also contains a detailed study on photoconductivity. It explains how the addition of MgO eliminates photorefractive damage. Chapter 3 studies Q-switched laser operation in Nd:MgO:LiNbO{sub 3}. Q-switching consists of generating very intense, nanosecond pulses by rapidly switching the cavity loss.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5653947
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
NIOBATES
CRYSTAL DOPING
SOLID STATE LASERS
ELECTRO-OPTICAL EFFECTS
FIBERS
MONOCRYSTALS
PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY
Q-SWITCHING
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CRYSTALS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
LASERS
NIOBIUM COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
420300* - Engineering- Lasers- (-1989)