Abstract
We have built a mode-locked Nd : YVO4 laser with a very long resonator which produces an average power of 50 W in 13-ps pulses at 1064 nm and was designed for applications in micro-machining, the deposition of optical thin films, and the growth of nano-clusters in the laser-ablated plumes. By operating the laser at very low mode-locking repetition rates (1.5 MHz, 2.6 MHz, and 4.1MHz), high pulse power is available in a near diffraction limited beam, allowing focused intensities to exceed 1012 W/cm2 and permitting efficient evaporation of difficult materials such as Si. The high power also allows conversion into the second harmonic at 532 nm with an efficiency exceeding 80%. Measurements of the ablation mass in experiments with metals show a 30-100 times increase in the ablation rate compared to the conventional low-repetition-rate ns-range lasers.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1051-1055 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing |
Volume | 79 |
Issue number | 4-6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2004 |