Research On The Thermal Effects Of Nd: YAG Laser

As a new source of light, laser has broad application in various fields. Although lasers havemany types, the Nd:YAG laser accounts for a large share in laser market. However, the existence ofthe thermal lens in solid-state lasers seriously affects the stability of the resonator, the output powerand the quality of beam. So it does need to design a method which can effectively solve the thermaleffects.The reasons of thermal effects in the solid-state lasers which contains a Nd:YAG rod isdiscussed at first. Using the matrix optics theory of laser resonator, the serious impacts of thethermal effects in the solid-state lasers on the stability of the resonator, the output power and thequality of beam are exhaustively analyzed. Then a new method which designs a heat insensitive andwide area laser resonator is put forward to solve the thermal effects. It puts a liquid lens into thelaser resonator which has thermal lens to effectively compensate the effects of thermal lens causedby the pump power. The liquid lens is based on the principle of electric wet effect. When the voltageis adjusted, the liquid lens will change its diopter. At last, according to the heat insensitive conditionof the laser resonator which contains a liquid lens and a thermal lens, the correspondence betweenthe diopter of liquid lens and the diopter of thermal lens is given. When the pump power changes,by adjusting the voltage to change the diopter of liquid lens, it can achieve the purpose ofdynamically compensating the thermal lens effects and making the laser resonator keep heatinsensitive during the bigger pump range. Then the laser resonator with high-power, high stabilityand high beam quality can meet.The work has a significant role in promoting the solid-state lasers of high power and highstability.