Intracavity beam shaping of a Nd:YAG laser

Michael Gerber; Alexis V. Kudryashov; Thomas Graf

doi:10.1117/12.469479

6 June 2002 Intracavity beam shaping of a Nd:YAG laser

Michael Gerber, Alexis V. Kudryashov, Thomas Graf

Proceedings Volume 4629, Laser Resonators and Beam Control V; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.469479
Event: High-Power Lasers and Applications, 2002, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

To change the intensity distribution of the fundamental mode in a Nd:YAG laser resonator to a top-hat profile we developed and used a dielectric graded-phase mirror. A super-Gaussian mode of the sixth order was generated by means of a graded-phase mirror with a simple ring-shaped phase step on a spherical reflector. The depth of the ring was 90 nm. Measurements with continuous-wave and repetitively pulsed diode-laser pumping were performed and compared. The results are in excellent agreement with the theory. To allow for real-time modification of the modes, adaptive optics such as deformable mirrors can be used. Experiments with an adaptive mirror featuring eight actuators on a glass substrate were performed. It was not yet possible to generate super-Gaussian modes with a deformable mirror but the beam quality in the multi-mode regime was improved significantly without closed-loop electronics. A reduction of the M² value by 39 % was achieved.

Citation Download Citation

Michael Gerber, Alexis V. Kudryashov, and Thomas Graf "Intracavity beam shaping of a Nd:YAG laser", Proc. SPIE 4629, Laser Resonators and Beam Control V, (6 June 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.469479

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