360 nm ultra-violet pulse laser emission from an acousto-optical Q-switched, intracavity frequency-doubled pr: YLF - BiB3O6 laser

Abstract

For the first time, we realized 360 nm ultraviolet (UV) pulse laser by intracavity frequency doubling of a diode-pumped Q-switched Pr: YLF laser. An acousto-optic modulator was used as the active Q-switcher, and a BiB₃O₆ (BiBO) crystal served as the frequency doubler. A Q-switched laser was successfully obtained at a repetition frequency of 20 kHz, demonstrating excellent performance. Its maximum average output power reached 1.01 W, the maximum single-pulse energy was 50.5 µJ, the minimum pulse duration was merely 30 ns, and the maximum peak power was as high as 1.68 kW. When the repetition frequency was adjusted to 50 kHz, and the absorbed pump power of the 360 nm laser was 6.6 W, this laser’s maximum average output power climbed to 1.36 W, with a corresponding optical conversion efficiency of 20.6%. This novel UV laser is promising to be applied to many fields, such as environmental detection, THz wave generation, spectral analysis, microscopic imaging, and biotechnology.