CN218828395U

CN218828395U - Laser based on combination of optical fiber and solid

Info

Publication number: CN218828395U
Application number: CN202223434608.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马宁; 周颖
Original assignee: Beijing Reallight Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Anshan Xinglin Rui Light Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-21
Filing date: 2022-12-21
Publication date: 2023-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-21

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose lasers based on fiber-optic and solid-state bonding. One specific embodiment of the laser based on the combination of the optical fiber and the solid comprises a laser main body, a seed source, an optical fiber amplifier, a stripper and a first isolator, wherein the seed source, the optical fiber amplifier, the stripper and the first isolator are all arranged inside the laser main body; the seed source comprises a first pumping source and a laser crystal, the first pumping source is a semiconductor stack pumping laser, and the laser crystal is positioned in the light emergent direction of the first pumping source; an optical fiber amplifier is arranged in the light emergent direction of the laser crystal; the stripper is disposed between the optical fiber amplifier and the first isolator, and in an operating state, light emitted from the optical fiber amplifier enters the first isolator through the stripper and exits from the first isolator. The laser based on the combination of the optical fiber and the solid can provide laser with higher peak power and higher repetition frequency, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the laser on materials and meeting the requirements of automatic application.

Description

Laser based on combination of optical fiber and solid

Technical Field

The embodiment of the disclosure relates to the technical field of lasers, in particular to a laser based on combination of an optical fiber and a solid.

Background

According to research, the higher the peak power of the laser, the stronger the nonlinear effect of the laser and substance action, and the better the laser processing on the material. Most applications of laser require pursuing efficiency, so that laser repetition frequency is required to meet the requirements of automation applications, and therefore most biomedical lasers and industrial lasers require both high laser peak power and high laser repetition frequency, and most related lasers are fiber lasers or solid lasers.

However, when the above laser is employed, there are often technical problems as follows:

the mode field diameter of the optical fiber used by the optical fiber laser is limited and is limited by the optical fiber loading capacity, so that the single pulse energy of the optical fiber laser is smaller, and the peak power of the optical fiber laser is lower. The solid laser outputs high single pulse energy, but is limited by the thermal effect and heat dissipation of the laser crystal, resulting in low repetition frequency of the solid laser.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose lasers based on fiber-optic and solid-state bonding to solve the technical problems mentioned in the background section above.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a laser based on combination of an optical fiber and a solid body, the laser including a laser main body, a seed source, an optical fiber amplifier, a stripper and a first isolator, wherein the seed source, the optical fiber amplifier, the stripper and the first isolator are all disposed inside the laser main body; the seed source comprises a first pumping source and a laser crystal, wherein the first pumping source is a semiconductor stack pumping laser, the laser crystal is positioned at the light outgoing direction of the first pumping source, and the first pumping source is used for providing laser; the optical fiber amplifier is arranged in the light emergent direction of the laser crystal; the stripper is disposed between the optical fiber amplifier and the first isolator, and in an operating state, light emitted from the optical fiber amplifier enters the first isolator through the stripper and is emitted from the first isolator.

Optionally, the optical fiber amplifier includes a second isolator, a second pump source, a beam combiner, and a gain fiber; the second isolator is located between the beam combiner and the laser crystal, the second pump source and the second isolator are located on the same side of the beam combiner, and in a working state, light emitted by the second isolator and light emitted by the second pump source are simultaneously emitted into the beam combiner; the gain fiber is positioned between the combiner and the stripper.

Optionally, the second pump source is a 976nm semiconductor laser.

Optionally, the gain fiber is a double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber.

Optionally, the core diameter of the gain fiber is 20 μm.

Optionally, the inner cladding margin of the gain fiber is 125 μm.

Optionally, a pulse selector is arranged between the laser crystal and the optical fiber amplifier; the laser crystal and the optical fiber amplifier are connected through the pulse selector.

Optionally, the pulse selector is an acousto-optic modulator.

Optionally, the first pump source is a 808nm semiconductor stack pump laser.

Optionally, the laser crystal is Nd: YAG crystal.

The above embodiments of the present disclosure have the following advantages: through the laser based on the combination of the optical fiber and the solid, the laser with higher peak power and higher repetition frequency can be provided, so that the processing efficiency of the laser on materials is improved, and the requirement of automatic application is met. In particular, the reason why the associated laser cannot provide a high single pulse energy and a high repetition rate is that: the mode field diameter of the optical fiber used by the optical fiber laser is limited, and is limited by the load capacity of the optical fiber, so that the single pulse energy of the optical fiber laser is smaller, and the peak power of the optical fiber laser is lower. The solid laser outputs high single pulse energy, but is limited by the thermal effect and heat dissipation of the laser crystal, resulting in low repetition frequency of the solid laser. Based on this, the laser based on the combination of the optical fiber and the solid body of some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a laser main body, a seed source, an optical fiber amplifier, a stripper and a first isolator, wherein the seed source, the optical fiber amplifier, the stripper and the first isolator are all disposed inside the laser main body; the seed source comprises a first pumping source and a laser crystal, wherein the first pumping source is a semiconductor stack pumping laser, the laser crystal is positioned at the light outgoing direction of the first pumping source, and the first pumping source is used for providing laser; the optical fiber amplifier is arranged in the light emergent direction of the laser crystal; the stripper is disposed between the optical fiber amplifier and the first isolator, and in an operating state, light emitted from the optical fiber amplifier enters the first isolator through the stripper and is emitted from the first isolator. Because the seed source comprises the first pump source which is a semiconductor stack pump laser, the laser with large output energy and high peak power can be provided. And because the laser also comprises a fiber amplifier, the repetition frequency of the laser can be further improved. Therefore, the laser based on combination of the optical fiber and the solid can provide laser with higher peak power and higher repetition frequency, so that the material processing efficiency of the laser is improved, and the requirement of automatic application is met.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements. It should be understood that the drawings are schematic and that elements and components are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of some embodiments of a fiber-optic-solid-based laser according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

In the description of the present disclosure, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "disposed" and "connected" are to be interpreted broadly, e.g., as being either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood in specific instances by those of ordinary skill in the art.

It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, only the parts relevant to the related disclosure are shown in the drawings. The embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present disclosure may be combined with each other without conflict.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like in the present disclosure are only used for distinguishing different devices, modules or units, and are not used for limiting the order or interdependence relationship of the functions performed by the devices, modules or units.

It is noted that references to "a", "an", and "the" modifications in this disclosure are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, and that those skilled in the art will recognize that "one or more" may be used unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The names of messages or information exchanged between devices in the embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the messages or information.

The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of some embodiments of a laser based on fiber-in-solid bonding according to the present disclosure. Fig. 1 includes a laser body 1, a seed source 2, a fiber amplifier 3, a stripper 4, and a first isolator 5. The optical fiber amplifier 3 includes a second isolator 31, a second pump source 32, a beam combiner 33, and a gain fiber 34.

In some embodiments, the laser may include a laser body 1, a seed source 2, a fiber amplifier 3, a stripper 4, and a first isolator 5. The laser body 1 may be a housing for carrying the seed source 2, the optical fiber amplifier 3, the stripper 4, and the first isolator 5, and the laser body 1 may be provided with a light outlet. The light exit may be an opening for emitting laser light. The seed source 2 may be a laser for providing a light source. The above-mentioned optical fiber amplifier 3 may be an amplifier for amplifying laser energy. The above-mentioned stripper 4 may be an instrument for removing the pump light from the light source. For example, the stripper 4 may be a pump stripper 4. The first isolator 5 may be a passive optical device through which light emitted from the stripper 4 passes in one direction. The seed source 2, the optical fiber amplifier 3, the stripper 4, and the first isolator 5 may be disposed inside the laser body 1. Here, a specific embodiment in which the seed source 2, the optical fiber amplifier 3, the stripper 4, and the first isolator 5 are provided inside the laser main body 1 is not limited. As an example, the seed source 2, the optical fiber amplifier 3, the stripper 4, and the first isolator 5 may be welded inside the laser body 1 in the order shown in fig. 1.

In some embodiments, the seed source 2 may include a first pump source and a laser crystal. The first pump source may be a laser for providing laser light. The laser crystal may be a crystal for converting the energy provided by the first pump source into a laser which is coherent in space and time and has high parallelism and monochromaticity through an optical resonant cavity. The first pump source may be a semiconductor stack pump laser. Here, the pumping method of the first pump source is not limited, and the first pump source may be a continuous pumping method or a pulsed pumping method, for example. Preferably, a continuous pumping mode can be preferentially adopted, the synchronization problem does not need to be considered, and the repetition frequency can be improved. The laser crystal may be located at an outgoing light direction of the first pump source. The first pump source may be used to provide laser light. Further, the seed source 2 may obtain sub-nanosecond high-energy laser by using an active Q-switching technique, where the laser wavelength of the obtained laser is 1064nm, the peak power is about 100mW, the repetition frequency range is 100kHz, and the pulse width is 500ps.

In some embodiments, the optical fiber amplifier 3 may be disposed at the light exit direction of the laser crystal. Therefore, the energy of the laser can be amplified and the repetition frequency of the laser can be improved through the optical fiber amplifier 3, the defects of low repetition frequency and large thermal effect of the laser emitted by the seed source 2 are overcome, and the stable and reliable optical fiber output laser with high peak power and high repetition frequency can be obtained.

In some embodiments, the stripper 4 may be disposed between the fiber amplifier 3 and the first isolator 5. The stripper 4 may be configured to remove pump light from the laser light output from the fiber amplifier 3. In an operating state, light emitted from the optical fiber amplifier 3 may enter the first isolator 5 through the stripper 4 and be emitted from the first isolator 5. The stripper 4 and the first separator 5 may be connected by fusion splicing. Therefore, the stripper can reduce the probability of the pump light leaking to the emergent optical fiber, reduce the damage of the residual pump light to the device, and reduce the adverse effect of backward transmission light generated by various reasons in the optical path on the light source and the optical path system.

Alternatively, the fiber amplifier 3 may include a second isolator 31, a second pump source 32, a beam combiner 33, and a gain fiber 34. The second isolator 31 may be a passive optical device through which light emitted from the laser crystal passes in one direction. The second pump source 32 may be a laser for providing laser light. The beam combiner 33 may be an optical fiber beam combiner 33 for combining the laser light output from the isolator and the laser light output from the second pump source 32 into one beam. For example, the combiner 33 may be an optical fiber combiner 33 formed by fusion-tapering 1 multimode optical fiber and 1 single mode optical fiber and then fusion-splicing the fiber and one double-clad optical fiber. The gain fiber 34 may be a gain medium for generating photons. The second isolator 31 may be located between the beam combiner 33 and the laser crystal. The second pump source 32 and the second isolator 31 may be located on the same side of the beam combiner 33, and in an operating state, light emitted from the second isolator 31 and light emitted from the second pump source 32 may simultaneously enter the beam combiner 33. It should be understood that the beam combiner 33 may receive the laser light emitted from the second isolator 31 and the laser light emitted from the second pump source 32, and combine the laser light emitted from the second isolator and the laser light emitted from the second pump source into a laser light beam, and then emit the laser light beam. The gain fiber 34 may be positioned between the combiner 33 and the stripper 4. Specifically, the laser light emitted from the beam combiner 33 can be incident on the stripper 4 through the gain fiber 34. As for the connection mode between the second isolator 31, the second pump source 32, the beam combiner 33, and the gain fiber 34, specifically, both the second isolator 31 and the second pump source 32 may be fusion-spliced to the beam combiner 33. The combiner 33 may be fusion-spliced to the gain fiber 34.

Alternatively, the second pump source 32 may be a 976nm semiconductor laser.

Alternatively, the gain fiber 34 may be a double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber. Therefore, the ytterbium-doped fiber has a simple energy level structure, does not absorb the excited state of the pump light or the signal light, has high conversion efficiency, does not quench the concentration of the laser, and can obtain the laser with higher energy.

Alternatively, the core diameter of the gain fiber 34 may be 20 μm.

Alternatively, the inner cladding margin of the gain fiber 34 may be 125 μm.

Optionally, a pulse selector may be disposed between the laser crystal and the fiber amplifier 3. The laser crystal and the optical fiber amplifier 3 may be connected by the pulse selector. Thus, in some applications where a laser with a low repetition rate is required, a pulse selector is provided between the laser crystal and the fiber amplifier 3, so that the pulse repetition rate can be reduced.

Alternatively, the pulse selector may be an acousto-optic modulator.

Optionally, the first pump source may be a 808nm semiconductor stack pump laser.

Alternatively, the laser crystal may be Nd: YAG crystal.

The above embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects: through the laser based on the combination of the optical fiber and the solid, the laser with higher peak power and higher repetition frequency can be provided, so that the processing efficiency of the laser on materials is improved, and the requirement of automatic application is met. In particular, the reason why the associated laser cannot provide a single pulse with high energy and a high repetition rate is that: the mode field diameter of the optical fiber used by the optical fiber laser is limited and is limited by the optical fiber loading capacity, so that the single pulse energy of the optical fiber laser is smaller, and the peak power of the optical fiber laser is lower. The single pulse output by the solid laser has high energy, but is limited by the thermal effect and the heat dissipation problem of the laser crystal, so that the repetition frequency of the solid laser is lower. Based on this, the laser based on the combination of the optical fiber and the solid body of some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a laser main body, a seed source, an optical fiber amplifier, a stripper and a first isolator, wherein the seed source, the optical fiber amplifier, the stripper and the first isolator are all disposed inside the laser main body; the seed source comprises a first pumping source and a laser crystal, wherein the first pumping source is a semiconductor stack pumping laser, the laser crystal is positioned in the light-emitting direction of the first pumping source, and the first pumping source is used for providing laser; the optical fiber amplifier is arranged in the light emergent direction of the laser crystal; the stripper is arranged between the optical fiber amplifier and the first isolator, and in an operating state, light emitted from the optical fiber amplifier enters the first isolator through the stripper and is emitted from the first isolator. Because the seed source comprises the first pump source which is a semiconductor stack pump laser, the laser with large output energy and high peak power can be provided. And because the laser also comprises the optical fiber amplifier, the repetition frequency of the laser can be further improved. Therefore, the laser based on combination of the optical fiber and the solid can provide laser with higher peak power and higher repetition frequency, so that the material processing efficiency of the laser is improved, and the requirement of automatic application is met.

The foregoing description is only exemplary of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure and is illustrative of the principles of the technology employed. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the scope of the disclosure in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the particular combination of the above-described features, but also encompasses other embodiments in which any combination of the above-described features or their equivalents is possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above features and (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are mutually replaced to form the technical solution.

Claims

1. A laser based on fiber-in-solid bonding, characterized in that the laser comprises a laser body, a seed source, a fiber amplifier, a stripper and a first isolator, wherein,

the seed source, the optical fiber amplifier, the stripper and the first isolator are all arranged in the laser main body;

the seed source comprises a first pumping source and a laser crystal, wherein the first pumping source is a semiconductor stack pumping laser, the laser crystal is positioned at the light emergent direction of the first pumping source, and the first pumping source is used for providing laser;

the optical fiber amplifier is arranged in the light-emitting direction of the laser crystal;

the stripper is arranged between the optical fiber amplifier and the first isolator, and in an operating state, light emitted from the optical fiber amplifier enters the first isolator through the stripper and is emitted from the first isolator.

2. The fiber-optic-and-solid-based laser of claim 1, wherein the fiber amplifier comprises a second isolator, a second pump source, a combiner, and a gain fiber;

the second isolator is located between the beam combiner and the laser crystal, the second pumping source and the second isolator are located on the same side of the beam combiner, and in a working state, light emitted by the second isolator and light emitted by the second pumping source are simultaneously emitted into the beam combiner;

the gain fiber is located between the combiner and the stripper.

3. The fiber-optic-and-solid-based laser of claim 2, wherein the second pump source is a 976nm semiconductor laser.

4. The fiber-solid based laser of claim 2, wherein the gain fiber is a double-clad ytterbium-doped fiber.

5. The fiber-solid bond based laser of claim 4, wherein the core diameter of the gain fiber is 20 μm.

6. The fiber-solid bond based laser of claim 5, wherein the gain fiber has an inner cladding margin of 125 μm.

7. The fiber-optic-and-solid-based laser of claim 1, wherein a pulse selector is disposed between the laser crystal and the fiber amplifier;

the laser crystal and the optical fiber amplifier are connected through the pulse selector.

8. The fiber-optic-solid bond based laser of claim 7, wherein the pulse selector is an acousto-optic modulator.

9. The fiber-optic solid state based laser of claim 1, wherein the first pump source is a 808nm semiconductor stack pump laser.

10. The fiber-optic-solid bond based laser according to any of claims 1-9, wherein the laser crystal is Nd: YAG crystal.