Pulsed supercontinuum source of variable pulse duration

摘要

A supercontinuum source capable of emitting waves between the infrared range and the ultraviolet range, includes a pulsed laser source (12) capable of generating a laser beam and a non-linear microstructured optical fiber (14) capable of receiving the laser beam, in such a way that the supercontinuum source is capable of generating a beam (F′) over a pulse duration (T′), characterized in that the supercontinuum source includes elements for varying the pulse duration.

主权项

1. A supercontinuum source for emitting waves extending from the infrared range to the ultraviolet range, comprising:
a pulsed laser source (12) that, during a pulse duration (T), generates a laser beam (F) with a peak power value between 3.5 kW and 7.5 kW, the pulsed laser source (12) comprising i) a pulsed pump laser source (20) that that emits a pump beam (Fp) of variable pulse duration (T); ii) means (16) for varying said pulse duration (T), the means (16) for varying said pulse duration (T) being integrated in the pulsed pump laser source (20); iii) at least one stage preamplifier module (24) connected to an output side of said pulsed pump laser source (20), said preamplifier module (24) amplifying the pump beam (Fp), wherein each stage comprises an optical fiber (28), an auxiliary pumping source (30) that pumps the optical fiber, an optical circulator (32) connected to an output of the optical fiber (28), and a narrow bandpass filter (38) located on an output side of the optical circulator (32) to filter amplified spontaneous emissions at the output of the preamplifier module (24), and iv) an amplifier module (26) connected to an output side of said preamplifier module (24), and comprising a) an optical isolator (44) having an input connected to the output of said preamplifier module (24), b) an auxiliary laser source (42) with an output connected to an input of said optical isolator (44), and c) an active non-linear microstructured doped optical fiber, comprising an air clad (G), connected to the output of the auxiliary laser source (42) and the output of the optical isolator (44) to thereby provide an amplifying and non-linear fiber, wherein i) an input of said non-linear microstructured doped optical fiber (40) receives said pump beam (Fp) of variable pulse duration (T) from an amplifier output formed by the output of said auxiliary laser source (42) and the output of the optical isolator (44), and ii) an output of said non-linear microstructured doped optical fiber (40) generates, during a pulse duration (T′), a laser beam (F′) during the pulse duration (T′) extending from the infrared range to the ultraviolet range.