All-solid-state subnanosecond tunable ultraviolet laser sources based on Ce3+-activated fluoride crystals

Abstract

Several practical all-solid-state tunable ultraviolet subnanosecond laser sources have been developed based on Ce3+:LiLuF4 (Ce:LLF) and Ce3+:LiCaAlF6 (Ce:LiCAF) active media pumped by the fifth and fourth harmonics of a regular Q-switched 10-ns Nd:YAG laser, respectively. The demonstrated tuning range of the Ce:LiCAF oscillator providing reproducibly-single-pulse output was 282 nm to 314 nm with the maximum output energy of 1 mJ. Tunable laser output from 223 nm to 232 nm was obtained by sum-frequency-mixing Ce:LiCAF laser output with fundamental output of a Q-sw Nd:YAG laser. The maximum subnanosecond Ce:LiCAF single-pulse output of 14 mJ was obtained in a "master oscillator-power amplifier" (MOPA) configuration.