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Improved Q-switching performance by transverse laser mode switching Host Publication: 6th Authors: W. Vandermeiren, J. Stiens, G. Shkerdin and R. Vounckx Publication Date: Sep. 2010
Abstract: During recent years pulsed laser radiation has gained interest by the material processing industry and the medical sector. For a growing set of applications (laser drilling, laser marking, laser surgery, etc.) it is advantageous to use pulsed laser radiation instead of continuous wave illumination as time limited exposure often results in reduced collateral damage and more precise processing. Transverse laser mode switching is a principle which can be applied to several laser types (CO2, YAG, etc.) whereby only a fraction of the laser beam is modulated. Despite its contra-intuitive nature, we show that this principle can be used as a means to improve the performance and reliability of existing modulators and/or Q-switching lasers. The improved performance is a consequence of the laser dynamics, as for most modulators, the switching time scales with size. In this talk we give a brief description of the principle and explain how it can be applied to improve the figures of merit of most commonly used modulators (e.g. acousto-optical, electro-optical, mechanical, etc.) in terms of switching time, power dissipation, life time and price. Simulations are presented to quantify the benefit for each modulator type. Finally, we show some experimental data on an improved mechanically Q switched CO2 laser.
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