Influence of UV illumination on the cold temperature operation of a LiNbO(3) Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.
UV illumination of a lithium niobate Q-switch was demonstrated as an effective means to eliminate a loss in hold-off and associated prelasing that occurs under cold temperature operation of Q-switched lasers. This degradation occurs due to the pyroelectric effect, where an accumulation of charge on crystal faces results in a reduction in the Q-switch hold-off and a spatially variable loss of the Q-switch in its high-transmission state, both resulting in lowering of the maximum Q-switched pulse energy. With UV illumination, the resulting creation of photo-generated carriers was shown to be effective in eliminating both of these effects. A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser utilizing UV-illuminated LiNbO(3) was shown to operate under cold temperatures without prelasing or spatially variable loss.
Cole
Brian
B
U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060 USA. info@nvl.army.mil
Goldberg
Lew
L
King
Vernon
V
Leach
Jeff
J