Project Summary

Proposal Number: 970072
Project Title: NOVEL, HIGH EFFICIENCY SOLID STATE LIDAR TRANSMITTER
Small Business Concern:: Ewing Technology Associates
5416 143rd Ave. SE
Bellevue, WA 98006
Research Institution:: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, MA 02173
Principal Investigator/Project Manager:: Dr. J. J. Ewing
Technical Abstract:: We propose development of a new class of high efficiency, conduction cooled diode pumped solid state lasers. We seek to develop pulsed, high efficiency Yb:YAG lasers to advance the state of the art in laser transmitters for remote sensing. The laser technology we propose provides, if the effort is successful, higher efficiency than the DP Nd:YAG laser by a factor of ~ 1.5. The improvement is the result of a better quantum ratio, longer storage time (with concomitant lower fluorescence losses for fixed pumping time), and use of Al free InGaAs diode pump arrays. Space based lidars built around the proposed laser concept will place less demand on spacecraft power supplies and thermal management systems. The proposed effort targets short pulse technology suitable for altimetry. The benefits of the research extend to other earth surface and atmospheric sensing applications. The Phase I effort focuses on the demonstration and understanding of the extraction efficiency in a small, passively Q-switched laser head. The Phase II effort would develop an excellent beam quality, >10% efficient (15% goal) Yb:YAG oscillator amplifier in the 25W average power range. Lessons learned from the effort relate directly to prototype efforts for a cost effective DP laser.
Potential Commercial Applications:: The effort results in a compact, robust 1µm laser technology. With a short pulse output suitable for altimetry, the laser is also ideally suited for frequency conversion. Applications will be in UV marking, "desk top manufacture", and micro-machining, where the excellent beam quality will be an asset. The inherently lower potential cost of the pump diode arrays, in comparison to Nd lasers, will accelerate the acceptance and use of diode pumped laser technology in cost sensitive industrial applications at modest power and energy. Medical applications such as laser surgery or tattoo removal which use pulsed, 1µm sources will also benefit form the inherently lower cost of parts in the proposed laser.