We present a femtosecond laser system delivering up to 100 W of average power at 343 nm. The laser system employs a Yb-based femtosecond fiber laser and subsequent second- and third-harmonic generation in beta barium borate (BBO) crystals. Thermal gradients within these BBO crystals are mitigated by sapphire heat spreaders directly bonded to the front and back surface of the crystals. Thus, a nearly diffraction-limited beam quality (M2 < 1.4) is achieved, despite the high thermal load to the nonlinear crystals. This laser source is expected to push many industrial and scientific applications in the future.
We report on successful joining of a beta barium borate crystal by plasma-activated direct bonding. Based on this technology, a sandwich structure consisting of a beta barium borate crystal, joined with two sapphire heat spreaders has been fabricated. Due to the high thermal conductivity of sapphire, the sandwich structure possesses superior thermal properties compared to the single crystal. Simulations based on the finite element method indicate a significant reduction of thermal gradients and the resulting mechanical stresses. A proof of principle experiment demonstrates the high power capability of the fabricated structure. A pulsed fiber laser emitting up to 253 W average power has been frequency doubled with both a single BBO crystal and the fabricated sandwich structure. The bonded stack showed better heat dissipation and less thermo-optical beam distortion than the single crystal. The work demonstrates the huge potential of optical sandwich structures with enhanced functionality. In particular, frequency conversion at average powers in the kW range with excellent beam quality will be feasible in future
We report on investigations of direct bonding of mono-crystalline Terbium Gallium Garnet (TGG) to sapphire for use as Faraday isolator in high power fiber laser applications. The technology of direct bonding allows joining of inorganic crystalline and non-crystalline materials without any auxiliary materials at high bonding strength. Lack of additional joining material and related absorption is very promising for high power laser applications. The ability to join different materials allows inserting sapphire as a heat spreader into the beam path for TGG cooling to avoid thermal lensing. All samples were subjected to extensive chemical cleaning and subsequent low temperature plasma activation before bonding. Bonding was performed under compressive forces in a high vacuum environment at moderate temperature. Optically transparent bonds with a very low fraction of defects were obtained. The size of the bonded area depends significantly on the samples' flatness
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