Abstract

A parametric study to clarify efficiency limiting mechanisms and to maximize the performance of the CH₂F₂ laser has led to the discovery of five new CO₂ pump lines and ten new FIR laser lines. The wavelengths of the new lines fill a previous gap in the spectrum of strong cw FIR laser lines. With appropriate cavity design, measured conversion efficiencies exceed 30% of the maximum theoretical limit. Optimization of the output coupling for the strongest line at λ = 184.6 μm has doubled the maximum output power from the identical system using the λ = 118.8-μm line of CH₃OH. The exceptionally high conversion efficiency (33%) occurring at the highest-available CO₂ pump power indicates that the limits on scaling to higher output powers have not yet been reached. The results confirm the high-performance capability of the CH₂F₂ laser, the strongest cw optically pumped FIR laser reported to date.

© 1979 Optical Society of America

Additional cw FIR laser lines from optically pumped CH₂F₂

Artemio Scalabrin and Kenneth M. Evenson
Opt. Lett. 4(9) 277-279 (1979)

High-intensity CO₂ laser pumping of a CH₃F Raman FIR laser

D. G. Biron, R. J. Temkin, B. Lax, and B. G. Danly
Opt. Lett. 4(11) 381-383 (1979)

Stark effects in optically pumped CH₃OH far infrared laser

K. P. Koo and P. C. Claspy
Appl. Opt. 18(9) 1314-1321 (1979)

Efficient far-infared laser lines from CH₂F₂ pumped by a continuous-wave waveguide CO₂ laser

G. Merkle and J. Heppner
Opt. Lett. 9(12) 542-543 (1984)

Optically pumped CD₃F submillimeter-wave laser

M. S. Tobin, J. P. Sattler, and G. L. Wood
Opt. Lett. 4(11) 384-386 (1979)