Planar Waveguide Visible Lasers

Lasers have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, underpinning much of our technology dependent society. Since the inception of the laser numerous configurations have evolved, the majority are based on rare-earth (RE)-ions generating near-IR wavelengths. However, many applications exist, such as display technologies, diagnostic tools at the life-science interface, or exploiting the transmission window of seawater for sub maritime sensing and communications, which require visible light. Our vision is to simplify the solid-state visible laser to just a single oscillator, while simultaneously broadening its capabilities by exploiting the rich spectroscopic properties of higher-lying RE ions excited-states (such as those of Thulium and Erbium), for generating new colours. This project will investigate lasers based on the planar-waveguide architecture and highly-excited RE-ion transitions. Similar so called “upconversion lasers”, describing the pumping mechanism, are still a research laboratory phenomenon. Drawing upon our pioneering research and expertise in the planar-waveguide laser field, combined with recent and critical technological advancements; namely ultra-low-loss rare-earth doped crystalline waveguides and narrow-linewidth high-power diode pumps, this work will form the foundation of a new laser platform producing efficient high-power visible sources for real world applications.

Planar Waveguide and Slab Lasers

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