Assembly Of Solid-state Dye Laser Based On A Programmable Light Modulator Output Tuning Study

This thesis presents results of a research project performed within the international MSc program in Photonics. The object is to design and experimentally test a programmable spatial light modulator (SLM) as a key component enabling wavelength tuning in solid-state dye lasers with the gain medium containing Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) dye embedded in polymeric host material.Tunable lasers using dyes in solid composition as gain materials are competitive and widely used in research and industry for their broadband output spectra and low cost. In this thesis, the basic principles for lasers and dye lasers in particular are briefly surveyed, followed by a report of the experimental work on successful assembling and characterizing three dye laser systems using Rh6G dye. The difference between these systems includes the shape of the dye samples, the pump sources, and the cavity design. The impact of the difference on the laser performance is discussed, and the results are compared with typical commercial dye lasers.In the next step, a novel approach is described for tuning the wavelength of a solid-state dye laser to provide narrow-band output radiation. For this purpose, a dynamic diffractive optical element (DOE) based on a programmable SLM is applied. By properly choosing the phase transfer function of the DOE, the feasibility of using an SLM as a highly dispersive intra-cavity component is demonstrated to obtain accurate tuning over the lasing band. The tunability analysis and system simulation are based on Fourier optics. The schematic configuration of the whole system with the tuning part is also presented. Finally, some practical aspects of the system are discussed and an outlook for further research is presented.