title: Compact, high-pulse-energy, high-power, picosecond master oscillator power amplifier.
abstract: We report a compact, stable, gain-switched-diode-seeded master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA), employing direct amplification via conventional Yb(3+)-doped fibers, to generate picosecond pulses with energy of 17.7 μJ and 97-W average output power (excluding amplified spontaneous emission) at 5.47-MHz repetition frequency in a diffraction-limited and single-polarization beam. A maximum peak power of 197 kW is demonstrated. Such a high-energy, high-power, MHz, picosecond MOPA is of great interest for high-throughput material processing. With 13.8-μJ pulse energy confined in the 0.87-nm 3-dB spectral bandwidth, this MOPA is also a promising source for nonlinear frequency conversion to generate high-energy pulses in other spectral regions. We have explored the pulse energy scaling until the stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) becomes significant (i.e. spectral peak intensity exceeds 1% of that of the signal).
authors.forename: Ho-Yin
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Shaif-Ul
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bateman
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Shepherd