Solid-State Lasers

Q-Peak has been involved in solid-state lasers since 1985 during the time when the pumping mechanism for solid-state lasers transitioned from flash-lamps to diode lasers. Lasers based on flash-lamp pumped Neodymium-, Erbium-, Thulium-, and Holmium-doped laser materials (the Laser 1-2-3) was Q-Peak’s first product. Another early product line was based on Titanium-doped sapphire and included a cw, tunable, single-frequency laser (the Titan cw); a tunable, pulsed, Ti-sapphire laser (the Titan P); and a mode-locked Ti-sapphire laser (the Titan ML).

Aurora Solid State Lidar Laser

Materials

Q-Peak is fully versed in a large range of solid-state laser media. This includes a number of rare earth ions and transition metals in a variety of laser host media. Q-Peak has particular experience with laser host media based upon Yttrium Lithium Fluoride (YLF) as higher efficiency is typically achieved with YLF versus YAG due to longer upper state lifetimes in YLF. Not included in the list below is our experience with solid-state laser media specifically in the area of ultra-fast lasers which can be found here. Link to Ultrafast Lasers

Laser Ion Host Media
Neodymium YAG (1064 nm); YVO4 (1064 nm); YLF (1047 & 1053 nm)
Erbium YLF (2810 nm); YAG (2937 nm); GGG (2821 nm); YSGG (2797 nm)
Thulium YLF (1900 nm); YAG (2010 nm); YALO (1940 nm)
Holmium YLF (2050 nm)
Ytterbium YAG (1030 nm); S-FAP (1047 nm)
Chromium YAG (1332 -1554)
Titanium Al2O3 (650 – 1000 nm)

Types

Throughout Q-Peak’s 30-year history, we have constructed virtually every type of laser that has been developed including cw, long-pulse, and Q-switched operation. Pulsed, single-frequency lasers, tunable lasers, microchip lasers, and injection-seeded lasers are among the many types of lasers we have constructed. One of our core technologies involves multi-passing of laser media in a slab geometry that has yielded optical-to-optical efficiencies as high as 30% in a side-pumped geometry. Construction of master-oscillator/power amplifiers is one of our strengths. We also have experience with cryogenic operation of laser media such as Yb:YAG. Conversion of solid-state laser wavelengths to the UV or IR is a common requirement and is described in detail here. Link to Nonlinear Optics

Hybrid Systems

While many applications for solid-state lasers have been replaced by fiber lasers, requirements of high pulse energy and low repetition rates are an area where solid-state promlasers have particular utility. Additionally, hybrid fiber laser/solid-state systems where low pulse energy amplification and waveform shaping is accomplished with a fiber-based front end and then amplified to high pulse energies with a solid-state amplifier is a marriage of the two technologies. Fiber laser pumping (with its high beam quality) also expands the usefulness and efficiency of solid-state lasers by allowing novel end-pumped geometries.

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