Eyesafe 1.6-μm Er:YAG transmitters for coherent laser radar

摘要

Efficient diffraction-limited transform-limited eyesafe 1.6 μm Er:YAG laser transmitters have been developed for coherent laser radar applications. For hard-target sensing applications, a MOPA with 1.1 ns pulsewidth was demonstrated. The power amplifier produces 20 W in the CW mode and 16W in the pulsed mode with 1.1 ns pulsewidth. For wind sensing applications, a Q-switched oscillator produces pulsewidths of several hundred ns, with a pulse energy of 16 mJ at 250 Hz PRF, The MOPA and the Q-switched oscillator are pumped by commercial diode-pumped CW 1533 nm Er-doped fiber lasers.