Diode Pumped Solid State Crystalline Composite Lasers

MODELING DATA AT THE NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT EFFICIENCY AND BEAM QUALITY OF SIDE-PUMPED LASER DIODE-PUMPED CTH:YAG LASER RODS AT HIGH REPETITION RATES ARE IMPROVED BY APPLYING A LASER-INACTIVE CLADDING AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE LASING MEDIUM AND END CAPS FOR FICTURING THE ROD INTO THE CAVITY. ONYX OPTICS HAS DEVELOPED A TECHNIQUE TO PREPARE DIFFUSION-BONDED COMPOSITES OF LASER-ACTIVE AND LASER-INACTIVE YAG SINGLE CRYSTALS. THIS PROPOSAL FOR PHASE I ENCOMPASSES FABRICATION OF FUNCTIONAL CLAD CTH:YAG RODS WITH OCTAGONAL CROSS SECTION BY DIFFUSION BONDING CLADDING STRIPS TO THE CORE OF THE LASING MEDIUM AND SUBSEQUENT ATTACHMENT OF UNDOPED END SECTIONS TO THE CLAD ROD. LASING PERFORMANCE OF THESE COMPOSITE RODS WILL BE EVALUATED AT NRL.WE ALSO PROPOSE TO DETERMINE EXPERIMENTAL PROCESS PARAMETERS SUCH AS GROWTH PATTERNS OF CRYSTALLINE ISLANDS AS FUNCTION OF RELATIVE CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ORIENTATION AT THE INTERFACE. THERMAL SHOCK RESISTANCE OF CONVENTIONALLY AND ACID POLISHED COMPOSITE ROD COUPLES WILL BE COMPARED WITH NON-BONDED CONTROLS. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF COMPOSITE CTH:YAG LASERS FOR THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE ORGANIZATION INCLUDE ACTIVE ILLUMINATORS OFINCREASED REPETITION RATES AND LOWER THERMAL DISTORTIONS, OPERATING IN THE ALMOST-CW REGIME.