10 mJ / 10 Hz / 3 ns-Level 1.5 μm Er,Yb-Doped Phosphate Glass Electro-Optically Q-Switched Cavity-Dumped Laser for Laser Ranging Applications

To address the demands of 1.5 μm laser ranging for long-distance, high-precision measurements requiring high pulse energy, narrow pulse duration, high peak power, and high repetition rate, as well as the practical requirements of a compact and miniaturized laser system, an electro-optically Q-switched cavity-dumped laser based on Er,Yb co-doped phosphate glass was investigated. To minimize the risk of damage to the optical components caused by the high intracavity optical energy density, the resonator was designed and the intracavity mode-field distribution was analyzed.

The experiment yielded a 1.5 μm Q-switched giant-pulse output with a maximum pulse energy of 10 mJ at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, a peak power on the order of 3.51 MW, and a pulse width of approximately 3.28 ns. Owing to the use of a PBS as the laser output coupler, the output laser exhibits an extremely high degree of linear polarization. The slope efficiency of the laser under Q-switched operation can reach 8.35％.