Device for amplifying a laser pulse having improved temporal contrast

Abstract

A device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam is provided, which comprises: a solid amplifying medium with two planer faces, a front face and a reflecting rear face; and a device for cooling the amplifying medium by the rear face. The front face of the amplifying medium is tilted relative to its rear face by a first non-zero tilt and the device further comprises a trapezoidal prism, with an input face and an output face which form between them a second non-zero tilt, the first and second tilts being such that the beams of each wavelength are parallel to one another at the output of the prism.

Claims

1. A device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam, comprising: a solid amplifying medium of refractive index n.sub.1 for a first wavelength among wavelengths of said multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam, with two planar faces, a front face configured to receive the multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam to be amplified and a reflecting rear face, the front face being tilted relative to its rear face by a first non-zero tilt, a device for cooling the amplifying medium by the rear face, and a trapezoidal prism of refractive index n.sub.2 for a second wavelength among wavelengths of said multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam, with an input face and an output face which form between them a second non-zero tilt, said trapezoidal prism being situated in a location on a path of the multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam reflected by the rear face and refracted by the front face of the amplifying medium, and the first and the second tilts being such that beams of each wavelength among wavelengths of said multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam are parallel to one another at the output of the trapezoidal prism.

2. The device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the front face of the amplifying medium being at right angles to an axis Oz, the first tilt forms an angle .sub.1 on a plane yOz and .sub.1 on a plane xOz, the second tilt forms an angle .sub.2 on the plane yOz and .sub.2 on the plane xOz, such that 2.sub.1n.sub.1=.sub.2n.sub.2 and 2.sub.1n.sub.1=.sub.2n.sub.2.

3. The device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein n.sub.1 >>(n.sub.1=1)/ v.sub.1, v.sub.1 being the constringence of the amplifying medium.

4. The device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the front face of the amplifying medium is configured to receive the incident beam and to reflect a parasitic beam, the trapezoidal prism is situated outside the path of the parasitic beam.

5. The device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front face of the amplifying medium is anti-reflection coated.

6. The device for amplifying a multi-wavelength pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein n.sub.1=n.sub.2.

7. The device for amplifying a multi-spectral pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a filtering screen situated in a location intended to be on the path of the beam reflected by the front face of the amplifying medium.

8. The device for amplifying a multi-spectral pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein the amplifying medium is one of: a crystal, a glass, or a polymer.

9. The device for amplifying a multi-spectral pulsed laser beam as claimed in claim 1, wherein an energy per pulse is greater than 1 mJ, and an average power is greater than 10 W.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following detailed description, given as a nonlimiting example and with reference to the attached drawings in which:

(2) FIGS. 1a and 1b already described schematically represent a multipass amplification device with cooling by the rear face according to the prior art, seen from the front (FIG. 1a) and seen from above (FIG. 1b),

(3) FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c represent an exemplary amplification device with cooling by the rear face according to the invention, seen from the front (FIG. 2a), seen from above (FIG. 2b), and seen in perspective (FIG. 2c).

(4) From one figure to another, the same elements are identified by the same references.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) In the two amplification solutions described in the preamble, the laser beam to be amplified passes through the crystal by entering on one side and leaving on the other side, and the parasitic beam, because of the parasitic reflections at the air/crystal interfaces, then travels along a longer optical path. The pre-pulse contrast is then not degraded because the parasitic pulses (=parasitic beam) arrive after the main pulse (=amplified beam).

(6) The laser amplification devices with cooling by the rear face require a geometrical folding of the beam because of the reflecting rear face, such that the output face of the crystal is the same as the input face, which means that the parasitic pulses (due to the parasitic reflections on the front face) are located ahead of the main pulse, consequently degrading the temporal contrast of the pulse.

(7) To avoid this degradation, the air/crystal interface is modified to separate the main pulse and the parasitic pulses: a slight angle is given to the input face of the amplifying crystal, this input face thus forming a tilt with the rear face. Thus, after propagation, the parasitic pulses are separated spatially from the main pulse.

(8) As can be seen in FIG. 2b which corresponds to the view from above of FIG. 1b but in which the mirrors have not been represented to avoid cluttering it, the beam (=the pulse) to be amplified 2 of diameter arrives on the amplifying medium 1 with an angle of incidence .sub.i in the plane xOz on the front face 12 which is at right angles to Oz. The useful beam is reflected by the rear face 11, the parasitic beam 5 (dotted lines) by the front face 12: the parasitic beam, also called parasitic pulses, is deflected on this front face by an angle 2.sub.i. The beam 6 amplified in the amplifying medium 1, also called main pulse, is deflected at the output by an angle 2.sub.1n.sub.1 with n.sub.1 being the refractive index of the amplifying medium 1.

(9) Similarly, as can be seen in FIG. 2a which corresponds to the view from above of FIG. 1a, the beam to be amplified 2 of diameter arrives on the amplifying medium 1 with an angle of incidence .sub.i in the plane yOz on the front face 12 which is at right angles to Oz. The useful beam is reflected by the rear face 11, the parasitic beam 5 (dotted lines) by the front face 12; the parasitic beam is deflected on this front face by an angle 2 .sub.i. The amplified beam 6 is deflected at the output by an angle 2.sub.1n.sub.1. In these figures, .sub.1=.sub.1 and .sub.2=.sub.2.

(10) FIG. 2c is a perspective view of the device of FIGS. 2a and 2b in which the parasitic beam has not been shown.

(11) Since it concerns a multi-wavelength laser source, the angle .sub.1 (respectively .sub.1) that the faces 12 and 11 form in the plane xOz (respectively, the plane yOz), produces a prismatic effect which, after passage through the amplifying medium 1, produces an angular separation of the main pulse 6 as a function of each of its wavelengths. In FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c, two wavelengths are represented. A compensating prism 4 is then added after the separation of the main pulse 6 and of the parasitic pulses 5, on the path of the main pulse 6, to correct this spatial dispersion as a function of the wavelengths.

(12) So that, at the output of the prism 4, the beams of each wavelength are parallel to one another, there is the following condition of achromatization between the angle .sub.1 (respectively .sub.1) of the faces of the amplifying medium 1 and the angle .sub.2 (respectively .sub.2) of the faces of the compensation prism 4:
(2.sub.1n.sub.1)=(.sub.2n.sub.2) and respectively (2.sub.1n.sub.1)=(.sub.2n.sub.2) with

(13) $n_i=\frac{\left(n_i-1\right)}{v_i}\mathrm{and}{v}_i=\frac{n_i\left({}_c\right)-1}{n_i\left({}_{\max }\right)-n_i\left({}_{\min }\right)}$

(14) with v.sub.i being the constringence, .sub.c the central wavelength, .sub.min and .sub.max being the spectral limits of the incident beam 2, and n.sub.2 being the refractive index of the prism 4.

(15) In these formulae, it is assumed that the beams are propagated in air or vacuum.

(16) The front face 12 of the amplifying medium is advantageously anti-reflection coated. There can nevertheless remain a residue.

(17) Preferably, the prism 4 is arranged at a distance L from the amplifying medium 1, where the parasitic beam 5 and the incident beam 2 are spatially separated, that is to say do not exhibit any overlap between them. More specifically, L is the distance between the prism and the amplifying medium, projected onto the axis Oz at right angles to the face 12 of the prism 1.

(18) This separation is obtained for L such that:
L>/tan(2.sub.i) and L>/tan(2.sub.i).

(19) Preferably also, L is chosen such that the amplified beam 6 and the parasitic beam 5 are spatially separated. The plane xOz is then preferentially used to eject the parasitic pulses with therefore .sub.1=0. The projection .sub.1 of the angle .sub.1 in the plane xOz is equal to .sub.1 whereas the projection .sub.1 of the angle .sub.1 in the plane yOz is zero. It is then possible to choose a zero angle of incidence (.sub.i=0) as in the numerical example below.

(20) The prism 4 must of course not mask the incident beam 2. Preferably also, L is chosen such that the amplified beam 6, incident beam 2 and parasitic beams 5 are spatially separated. This separation is obtained for L such that:
L>/tan(2(.sub.i+.sub.1n.sub.1)) or L>/tan(2(.sub.i+.sub.1n.sub.1)).

(21) On the prism 4, the spectral components of the incident beam 6 form a spot of diameter +. It will be noted that includes the increase in the diameter introduced by the divergence of the beam in the double passage through the prism 1 then that introduced by the divergence of the beam on the path between the output face 12 of the prism 1 and the prism 4; the same diameter + is obtained at the output of this correcting prism 4. To preserve the multi-wavelength nature of the output beam, it is desired for the widening of the diameter of the amplified beam 6 to be small compared to .

(22) Such is the case because:

(23) $=L.Math.\tan \left(2{}_1{n}_1\right)=L.Math.\tan \left(2{}_1\frac{1}{v_1}\left(n_1-1\right)\right)$
Now, the following still applies

(24) $\left(2\left({}_i+{}_1{n}_1\right)\right)2{}_1\frac{1}{v_1}\left(n_1-1\right)$
because n.sub.1>>(n.sub.11)/v.sub.1, which means that <<.

(25) For the case, for example, of a sapphire crystal doped with titanium ions Ti3+, the following apply: .sub.min=750 nm .sub.max=850 nm v.sub.1=244 n.sub.1=1.76 .sub.1=.sub.1=.sub.1=1 .sub.i=.sub.i=0 L.sub.min=/tan(2.Math.(.sub.i+.sub.1n.sub.1)), L.sub.min being the minimum distance L.

(26) The widening of the beam amplified over the 750 nm to 850 nm band has the value:
=L.sub.min.Math.tan(2.sub.1n.sub.1)L.sub.min.Math.10.sup.4,
to be compared with
=L.sub.min.Math.tan(2.Math.(.sub.i+.sub.1n.sub.1))L.sub.min.Math.6.10.sup.2.

(27) The following is then obtained:
/0,16.10.sup.2.

(28) After the correcting prism 4, the different wavelengths thus cease to be spatially separated. Given the optomechanical margins to be taken into account, the lateral shift is rather in the order of 1 tenth of the diameter of the amplified beam. The phenomenon is in any case negligible because <<.

(29) The beam to be amplified is typically an IR beam, without this being limiting.

(30) As indicated in the examples, the amplifying medium 1 can be a crystal such as sapphire doped with titanium, or Yb:YAG, Yb:CaF2 or a polymer material, or a glass or any other material in the solid state. The material of the prism 4 can be the same as that of the amplifying medium 1; in this case n.sub.1=n.sub.2.

(31) The amplification device according to the invention is preferably a multipass device, but not necessarily.