Page 217 - Tunable Lasers Handbook

5 Dye Lasers 195

6. SOLID-ST.ATE DYE LASERS

Solid-state dye lasers were first demonstrated by Soffer and McFarland
[ 1391 in 1967 using rhodamine-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA4) under
laser excitation. Lasing of rhodamine-doped PMMA under flashlamp excitation
was demonstrated by Peterson and Snavely [ 1401.
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 ul. [141] report that MPMMA has an energy damage
thresholds of 13 J/cm’. Further, these authors report that the threshold for photo-
bleaching of rhodamine 6G in MPMMA is -1.6 J/cmz. Duarte [46] reports that
for a beam radius of 200 pm no e\ridence of photobleaching in rhodamine-doped
MPMMA was evident at energy densities of -0.7 J/cmz. The measured refractive
index for rhodamine-6G-doped MPMMA at a concentration of 0.1 mM is 1.453
at h = 594.48 nm.
Gromov et ul. [141] report that at an incident energy density of 1 J/cm’ photo-
bleaching occurs in 2000 pulses for dye 11B and in 1100 pulses for rhodamine
11 1. Hemes et al. 11431 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/cd.
For QRMQSIL, Duarte et al. [45] report on long-pulse lasing under dye
laser excitation. This QRMOSIL was synthesized using the method of Dunn er
al. [114] and was composed by a 1:1:1:3.5 molar ratio of TMQS/MMA/3-
(trirnethoxysilyl) propyl MA/0.03 N HC1 [145]. The dye concentration used in

TABLE 15 Dispersion Characteristics of Prism Materials for Pulse Compression0

Quartz 1.157 0.62 -0.03059 0.1267 [lo51
BK7 1.51551 0.62 -0.0361 3 0.15509
F2 1.61717 0.62 -0.07357 0.31332 [871
SFlO 1.72441 0.62 -0.10873 0.53819 [871
LaSF9 1.84629 0.62 -0.1 1189 0.57778
1.83257 0.80 -0.05201 0.18023
ZnSeh 2.586 0.62 -0.698 5.068
2.511 0.80 -0.246 1.163
“Adapted from Diels [87], with permission
hcalculated using data from Marple [117].