Abstract

Pulsed laser operation is desirable for a wide range of applications such as laser micromachining in industrial manufacturing and laser marking for product identification [1]. In these cases it is beneficial to have flexibility in the parameters of the laser pulse to suit the specific application. This can include the ability to achieve a wide range of pulse repetition rates, with some applications requiring variation of laser pulse rate from high rate (multi-kHz) to low rate or even an off-state in a fast timescale. To generate ultrahigh pulse rates requires Q-switched lasers with ultrahigh gain, but problems can arise if the modulation element is insufficient to prevent laser action or hold-off lasing at low repetition rates. In these cases, lasing output can occur when it is not desired [2]. In this work we present a novel method for pulse control in a high gain bounce amplifier Q-switched system by using a secondary cavity to clamp the gain and allow for clean single pulse operation from very high (800kHz) to very low (e.g.1kHz) repetition rates.

© 2013 IEEE