DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-POWER CW DIODE-PUMPED BLUE LASER

WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE THE USE OF A CW, FREQUENCY DOUBLED, DIODE-PUMPED SOLID STATE LASER IN THE GENERATION OF WATT-LEVEL BLUE LIGHT, FOR APPLICATIONS TO LARGE-SCREEN PROJECTION DISPLAYS. THE SPECIFIC SYSTEM TO BE STUDIED WOULD BE A 946-NM ND:YAG LASER EMPLOYING AN INTRACAVITY DOUBLING CRYSTAL OF POTASSIUM NIOBATE (KNBO3). SINGLE-FREQUENCY, RING-LASER OPERATION WOULD PERMIT EFFICIENT EXTRACTION OF THE SECOND-HARMONIC OUTPUT AND ALSO MINIMIZE POTENTIAL AMPLITUDE NOISE DUE TO LONGITUDINAL MODE-BEATING. THE TASKS INVOLVED WOULD BE THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A CW ND:YAG GAIN MODULE, PUMPED BY A 10-W DIODE LASER BAR, THE CONSTRUCTION AND EVALUATION OF A UNIDIRECTIONAL RING LASER, THE EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF HARMONIC GENERATION IN TYPE I, NONCRITICALLY PHASE-MATCHED KNBO3, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POINT DESIGN FOR A 3-W, CW BLUE LASER OPERATING AT 473 NM. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS - APPLICATIONS IN LARGE-SCREEN PROJECTION, PRINTING, REPROGRAPHICS, CELL COUNTING, MICROSCOPY FLUORESCENCE AND RAMAN ANALYSIS, SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTATION, OPTICAL MEMORIES AND CLINICAL MEDICINE ARE AMONG THE MOST OBVIOUS FOR THE PROPOSED LASER. THE COMMERCIAL MARKET SIZE FOR MULTI-WATT, VISIBLE SOLID STATE LASERS COULD WELL DEVELOP INTO THE $100 MILLION RANGE. KEY WORDS - SOLID STATE LASER, HARMONIC GENERATION, DIODE PUMPING.