SELF Q-SWITCHED MICROLASERS

MICROLASERS FORM A NEW CLASS OF MINIATURIZED LASER WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PULSES IN THE MW REGIME WITH SUBNANOSECOND DURATION, SUITABLE FOR NONLINEAR PROCESSING SUCH AS PARAMETRIC WAVELENGTH CONVERSION. THE MAJOR DIFFICULTIES WITH MICROLASERS LIE IN A) THE LASER MATERIAL WHICH SHOULD IDEALLY ABSORB 100% OF THE PUMP LIGHT WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE AND B) THE ABILITY TO Q-SWITCH SINCE THE LASER CAVITY IS EXTREMELY SHORT AND LACKS THE SPACE FOR CONVENTIONAL COMPONENTS USING 0-SWITCHING. A PROGRAM OF RESEARCH IS PROPOSED TO SEARCH FOR THE OPTIMUM LASER MATERIAL WHICH CAN COMBINE HIGH. EFFICIENCY WITH THE CORRECT ELECTRO-OPTIC PROPERTIES. TECHNIQUES ARE PROPOSED WHICH WILL ALLOW THE Q-SWITCHED MICROLASER TO BE MANUFACTURED SIMPLY, USING ONLY COATING TECHNIQUES; THE Q-SWITCHING IS NOT PERFORMED USING EXTERNAL COMPONENTS AS HAS BEEN PROPOSED ELSEWHERE, SINCE THIS ADDS TO THE COMPLEXITY AND ULTIMATELY DETRACTS FROM THE ABILITY OF THE MICROLASER TO BE MASS PRODUCED AND DEPLOYED IN ARRAYS. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PROPOSED MICROLASER WILL BE MODELED BEFORE VERIFICATION IN A PHASE II PROGRAM WHICH WILL DEMONSTRATE SCALING TO ARRAYS AND PHASING OF THE LASER OUTPUTS. THE LASER DEVELOPED IN THIS PROGRAM WILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE SUBNANOSECOND PULSES WITH MW PEAK POWERS. THUS, OVER AND ABOVE THE ARRAYING OF THE LASER AND ITS USE IN COMMUNICATION, AND ALSO RANGING, THE LASER WILL BE ABLE TO SERVE AS A MINIATURE SOURCE IN LIDAR ARID WILL ALSO HAVE APPLICATION IN PHOTOCONDUCTIVE SWITCHING FOR HPM, ULTRA WIDEBAND RADAR AND HIGH POWER ELECTRICAL SWITCHING.