A 1.78 µJ and 285fs Yb:CaF2 SESAM-modelocked thin-disk oscillator

Benjamin Dannecker; Marwan Abdou Ahmed; Thomas Graf

doi:10.1117/12.2228104

Translator Disclaimer

27 April 2016 A 1.78 μJ and 285fs Yb:CaF₂ SESAM-modelocked thin-disk oscillator

Benjamin Dannecker, Marwan Abdou Ahmed, Thomas Graf

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9893, Laser Sources and Applications III; 98930P (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2228104
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2016, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

We present a SESAM-modelocked Yb:CaF₂ thin-disk laser designed for pulse durations below 300 fs and high peak powers of more than 5 MW. A cavity for fundamental mode operation (beam quality factor M² below 1.2) was set up and modelocked using a SESAM. An average output power of up to 17.8 W was obtained at a repetition-rate of 10 MHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of approximately 1.8 μJ. The pulse duration was measured to be 285 fs, therefore a peak power of 5.5 MW was attained. Our research enables a comparison of the potential of Yb:CaF2 with other Yb-doped crystals with broad gain bandwidth in thin-disk laser technology. We conclude from our results that this gain material is very promising for high pulse energies and high peak powers.

Citation Download Citation

Benjamin Dannecker, Marwan Abdou Ahmed, and Thomas Graf "A 1.78 μJ and 285fs Yb:CaF₂ SESAM-modelocked thin-disk oscillator", Proc. SPIE 9893, Laser Sources and Applications III, 98930P (27 April 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2228104

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE