Tunable Lasers Handbook

5 Dye Lasers 195

6. SOLID-STATE DYE LASERS

Solid-state dye lasers were first demonstrated by Softer and McFarland

[139] in 1967 using rhodamine-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) under

laser excitation. Lasing of rhodamine-doped PMMA under flashlamp excitation

was demonstrated by Peterson and Snavely [140].

Table 18 lists available matrices used in solid-state dye lasers. Modified

PMMA (MPMMA) [141,142] is an improved form of PMMA with high damage

thresholds and excellent optical properties. MPMMA results from purifying the

initial monomer compositions and by doping PMMA with low molecular addi-

tives [142]. Gromov

et al.

[141] report that MPMMA has an energy damage

thresholds of 13 J/cm 2. Further, these authors report that the threshold for photo-

bleaching of rhodamine 6G in MPMMA is -,1.6 J/cm2. Duarte [46] reports that

for a beam radius of 200 ~tm no evidence of photobleaching in rhodamine-doped

MPMMA was evident at energy densities of N0.7 J/cm2. The measured refractive

index for rhodamine-6G-doped MPMMA at a concentration of 0.1 mM is 1.453

at ~, = 594.48 nm.

Gromov

et al.

[141] report that at an incident energy density of 1 J/cm2 photo-

bleaching occurs in 2000 pulses for dye 11B and in 1100 pulses for rhodamine

111. Hermes

et al.

[143] quotes a useful lifetime of more than 20,000 pulses for

PM-570-doped hydroxypropyl acrylate/MMA at an incident energy density of 0.6

J/cm 2.

For ORMOSIL, Duarte

et al.

[45] report on long-pulse lasing under dye

laser excitation. This ORMOSIL was synthesized using the method of Dunn

et

al.

[144] and was composed by a 1:1:1:3.5 molar ratio of TMOS/MMA/3-

(trimethoxysilyl) propyl MA/0.04 N HC1 [145]. The dye concentration used in

TABLE 15 Dispersion Characteristics of Prism Materials for Pulse Compressiona

9~

dnld~, denld'L 2

Material

n (~tm) ([tm -1) (~tm -2)

Reference

Quartz 1.457 0.62 -0.03059 0.1267

BK7 1.51554 0.62 -0.03613 0.15509

F2 1.61747 0.62 -0.07357 0.34332

SF10 1.72444 0.62 -0.10873 0.53819

LaSF9 1.84629 0.62 -0.11189 0.57778

1.83257 0.80 -0.05201 0.18023

ZnSe b 2.586 0.62 -0.698 5.068

2.511 0.80 -0.246 1.163

[lo5]

[87]

[87]

aAdapted from Diels [87], with permission.

bCalculated using data from Marple [ 117].

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