Mode Characterization of a Nd:YAG Laser

BUMJIN OH1 *, DANIEL MCGILL2

1CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, 32816, USA
*Corresponding author: hifive550@knights.ucf.edu

Understanding the properties of light, especially Laser, (1) looks very simple and trivial but satisfying this equation
is essential to industry or commercial applications. In is very crucial since the optical cavity will not produce the
this paper we report the cavity stability of Nd:YAG laser laser beam if it is not stable.
by measuring the output power as the cavity length
changes at the wavelength of 1064-nm and 532-nm. Also,
we demonstrated the various of laser modes such as (i)
fundamental (TEM00), (ii) elongated modes (TEM0n) and
(iii) square modes (TEMnm). Furthermore, we measured
the beam waist versus propagate distance. As a result,
we could charactorize Nd:YAG laser, the divergence
angle / = . mrad and the minimum beam waist
= m. 2017 Optical Society of America
OCIS codes: Lasers, Cavities, Transverse Electromagnetic Modes

In recent years, LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated

Emission of Radiation) has been demonstrated by various Fig. 1. Stability diagram for the two mirrors cavity [2]
kinds of gain material such as solid state laser or gas laser.
One of the attractive material as a gain media is Nd-doped
YAG crystal which is very stable, hard, optically isotropic and
Furthermore, understanding the transverse electromagnetic
accept substitutionally trivalent ions of both the rare-earth
modes (TEM) is vital because we can calculate and estimate
and iron groups [1].
the beam profiles. To describe the beam by equation we need
The first working Nd-doped YAG laser (which will be called
to solve the paraxial wave equation which is [2] :
Nd:YAG laser) was built by J.E. Geusic at the Bell laboratories
in 1964 [1]. This laser needs to be pumped by absorbing near
=808nm diode laser so that can make the population 2 2 = 0 (2)
inversion. After the population inversion is obtained, this
crystal emits stimulated beam at =1064nm. Also, by using where = (, , ) is the complex amplitude of electric
the KTP (potassium titanyl phosphate, KTiOP4) which is field and is the wave number. By solving equation (2), we
frequency doubling material, Nd:YAG laser can produce can express the distribution of intensity in the transverse
=532nm laser. plane for not only the fundamental TEM0,0 mode but also the
To obtain the laser, the necessary and sufficient condition higher-order beam modes. We will skip the derivation in this
of the resonator is stability. In our experiment, we placed two paper but for the fundamental TEM0,0 mode, the result can be
mirrors to build a resonator and the stability condition of two expressed by [2] :
mirror system can be defined by the equation below [2] :
2 2
(,,) 0 2()
0 (1 ) (1 ) 1 (1) = 2() amplitude factor
()
1 2

(tan1 ( ))
0 longitudinal phase (3)
where L is the cavity length and R1 and R2 is radius of
2
curvature of the left and right mirror respectively. Equation
2() radial phase

1
where 2 = 2 + 2 position in the transverse plane , 0 =
02 /0 Rayleigh length where the beam waist will be 2
larger than 0 , () = 0 1 + (/0 )2 describes the beam
waist as a function of and () = 1 + (0 /)2 the radius
of curvature at propagation distance .
Fig. 2. Propagation of fundamental TEM0,0 mode [2].
The higher-order modes depend on the symmetry of their
gain aperture. Rectangular symmetry system produces the
Hermite-Gaussian Modes, cylindrical symmetry design
radiates the Laguerre-Gaussian Modes and elliptically
symmetric design gives the Ince-Gaussian Modes [3].
In our experiment, we setup Nd:YAG crystal which is
polished on both ends and the left side of it has special
dielectric coating that reflects nearly 100% of =1064nm but
transmits pumping laser at =808nm. KTP frequency
doubling material was placed inside of the cavity and the
outcoupler mirror that reflectivity is 99% and radius of
curvature is 30cm was placed at distance L from the Nd:YAG
crystal.
Fig. 3. Nd:YAG laser set up
From equation (1), the cavity length should between 0cm
to 30cm to produce laser. We measured the output data of
both wavelength at 1062 nm and 532 nm by changing the
cavity length from 11.5 cm to 31cm and the results are shown
in Fig. 2. The maximum output power for =1064nm was at
L=28.5cm but for =532nm was at L=23.5cm. However, only
the output power at L=23.5cm of =532nm is not
proportional to the power of =532nm. Unfortunately, we
need to disregard this datum since it seems we didnt
measure properly. So, except that point, it had good relation
and both peaks were near at L=28.5cm. So, the cavity was
most stable at that point and it was less stable if the cavity
length is getting shorter.
Also, the maximum cavity length that can still produce the
laser was about 31cm. This result is slightly longer that we
expected by stability equation (1) but reasonable since we
placed KTP which can affect to propagation and divergence
of the beam.
Fig. 4. Output Power vs. Cavity Length
Furthermore, we found the various kinds of Hermit-
Gaussian modes by adjusting the output mirror which means
our resonator design is rectangular symmetric. We could
produce fundamental TEM0,0 mode, elongated modes and
square modes. Also, we tried to find some interesting mode
by interrupting the beam of intracavity. We started from the
fundamental gaussian mode and placed fish line at inside of
cavity. And as shown below Fig. 5. (e) we could produce a
beautiful doughnut mode.
Fig. 5. Observed cavity modes: (a) TEM0,0, (b) TEM1,0,
(c) TEM2,0, (d) TEM2,1, (e) Doughnut mode.
We next present the measurement of lowest-order
Gaussian beam(TEM0,0) profile by using the knife-scan
technique. The basic idea consists of blocking out beam by
moving the razor blade in transverse plane from fully opened
one edge of the beam to fully blocked opposite edge. Measure
the output power every 100m and the collected powers are
closely related to the position of the razor blade. The basic
2
theory of this technique was introduced by R. Diaz-Uribe, M.
Rosete-Aguilar and R. Ortega-Martinez and the final equation
is given by [4]:
1 2
() = [1 + erf ( )] (4)
2
where the a is position of razor blade, is the beam waist
and () transmission(normalized power). We conducted
same procedure at several positions from the output coupler
to far away from it. Also, these measurements were
performed under the condition of 26 cm cavity length,
without KTP and power meter covered with 1000nm high-
pass filter to get the output power and =1064nm laser beam.
/2 = 2.37 mrad and by using the equation (6) the half width
of minimum beam waist 0 = 143 m. See appendix C for
calculation.
In conclusion, we could see the resonance stability but need
more precise measurement to observe the clear output
power with respect to the cavity length. Furthermore, we
have demonstrated some TEM modes. Finally, we could
characterize the minimum beam waist and divergence angle
of fundamental TEM0,0 mode by knife scanning technique.
References
1. Geusic, J. E. Marcos, H. M.; Van Uitert, L. G. "Laser oscillations in nd-
doped yttrium aluminum, yttrium gallium and gadolinium garnets".
Applied Physics Letters. 4 (10): 182. (1964).
2. J. T. Verdeyen, Laser Electronics (Prentice Hall, 1995).
3. M. A. Bandres, J. C. Guiterrez-Vega, "Ince-Gaussian modes of the
paraxial wave equation and stable resonators", JOSA A 21, 873 (2004)
4. R. Diaz-Uribe, M. Rosete-Aguilar, R. Ortega-Martinez. "Position sensing
of a Gaussian beam with a power meter and a knife edge."(1993)

Fig. 6. Normalized Power vs. Razor Blade Position at 86 cm.

(See Appendix B for data of other positions)

Fig. 6. shows the best fit at 86cm from the output coupler
and corresponding beam waist was 1.913mm by using
equation (4). And Fig. 7. shows the beam waist with respect
to propagation distance where the origin of distance z=0 is
the left flat mirror on the Nd:YAG. The beam waist at far-field
and divergence of Fig.2. can be easily calculated from the
equation below [2] :

0
( 0 ) = 0
= 0
(5)

2
= (6)
0

The beam waists that we measured were from =

0.5794mm at z = 28cm to = 2.9582mm at z = 125 cm and it
was linear in the far-field as expected from Fig. 2. and
equation (5). Let us assume z = 125cm is infinite. From the
beam waist Fig. 7. we could calculate the divergence angle

Fig. 7. Beam Radius vs. Distance from Laser Crystal End

Facet at =1064nm

3
Appendix A : Data for Cavity length vs. Output power

Transmission rate of filter (=1064nm : 74%, =532nm : 93%) was applied to acquire the actual output.

Power (1064 : mW, 532 : W)

L(cm)
11.5 14 16 17.5 21.5 23.5 25.5 28 28.5 29 29.5 30
(nm)
1064 46.08 36.08 38.78 29.73 37.70 50.14 37.70 48.38 63.38 54.05 59.73 50.00
532 5.70 4.58 5.22 3.46 4.41 25.81 9.14 4.57 6.02 5.63 6.31 9.14

Appendix B : Data from the knife-edge technique

We assumed the center of the beam x0=0 and transverse distance from x0 is a. We measured the output power
by moving the razor blade every 100 m for the distance of 28~56cm and every 200 m for 69~125cm. To
calculate the beam waist, we used Equation (4) from the main paper.

1. At distance 28 cm from the left mirror.

Position (m) Output power (mW) Transmission Inverse error function Beam waist (mm)
0.350 66.500 1.000 1.000 -
0.250 60.500 0.910 0.820 0.373
0.150 52.750 0.793 0.586 0.367
0.050 37.500 0.564 0.128 0.621
-0.050 29.450 0.443 -0.114 0.698
-0.150 16.200 0.244 -0.513 0.432
-0.250 14.000 0.211 -0.579 0.621
-0.350 8.050 0.121 -0.758 0.598
-0.450 4.550 0.068 -0.863 0.605
-0.550 2.180 0.033 -0.934 0.598
-0.650 1.200 0.018 -0.964 0.620
-0.750 0.645 0.010 -0.981 0.640
-0.850 0.350 0.005 -0.989 0.669
-0.950 0.190 0.003 -0.994 0.691

Beam waist : 0.597 mm

Appendix - 1
2. At distance 41 cm from the left mirror.

Position (m) Output power (mW) Transmission Inverse error function Beam waist (mm)
1.1 67.850 1.000 1.000 -
1.0 66.850 0.985 0.971 0.916
0.9 65.650 0.968 0.935 0.975
0.8 63.900 0.942 0.884 1.018
0.7 62.100 0.915 0.831 1.018
0.6 60.100 0.886 0.772 0.995
0.5 57.750 0.851 0.702 0.961
0.4 53.500 0.789 0.577 0.998
0.3 49.950 0.736 0.472 0.951
0.2 44.500 0.656 0.312 0.996
0.1 40.000 0.590 0.179 0.884
0.0 34.300 0.506 0.011 0.000
-0.1 29.250 0.431 -0.138 1.151
-0.2 24.300 0.358 -0.284 1.099
-0.3 18.800 0.277 -0.446 1.014
-0.4 14.750 0.217 -0.565 1.025
-0.5 10.900 0.161 -0.679 1.008
-0.6 7.995 0.118 -0.764 1.013
-0.7 5.750 0.085 -0.831 1.018
-0.8 3.950 0.058 -0.884 1.018
-0.9 2.450 0.036 -0.928 1.000
-1.0 1.500 0.022 -0.956 0.993
-1.1 0.910 0.013 -0.973 0.995
-1.2 0.350 0.005 -0.990 0.932
-1.3 0.295 0.004 -0.991 0.995
-1.4 0.175 0.003 -0.995 0.997

Beam waist : 0.959 mm

Appendix - 2
3. At distance 41cm from the left mirror.

Position (m) Output power (mW) Transmission Inverse error function Beam waist (mm)
1.5 67.450 1.000 1.000 -
1.4 66.850 0.991 0.982 1.184

1.2 65.700 0.974 0.948 1.235

1 64.350 0.954 0.908 1.187

0.8 60.850 0.902 0.804 1.237

0.6 56.650 0.840 0.680 1.207

0.4 48.750 0.723 0.446 1.352

0.2 41.250 0.612 0.223 1.412

0 33.420 0.495 -0.009 0.000

-0.2 24.105 0.357 -0.285 1.095

-0.4 16.435 0.244 -0.513 1.151

-0.6 10.330 0.153 -0.694 1.172

-0.8 5.844 0.087 -0.827 1.174

-1 2.984 0.044 -0.912 1.172

-1.2 1.380 0.020 -0.959 1.174

-1.4 0.595 0.009 -0.982 1.184

-1.6 0.249 0.004 -0.993 1.187

-1.8 0.109 0.002 -0.997 1.213

-2 0.059 0.001 -0.998 1.294

Beam waist : 1.146 mm

Appendix - 3
4. At distance 69 cm from the left mirror.

Position (m) Output power (mW) Transmission Inverse error function Beam waist (mm)
2.1 66.080 1 1.000 -
1.9 66.040 0.999 0.999 1.155
1.7 64.530 0.976 0.953 1.712
1.5 65.630 0.993 0.986 1.221
1.3 64.150 0.970 0.942 1.372
1.1 62.020 0.938 0.877 1.426
0.9 58.730 0.888 0.778 1.474
0.7 54.880 0.830 0.661 1.464
0.5 50.030 0.757 0.514 1.435
0.3 44.000 0.665 0.332 1.399
0.1 37.540 0.568 0.136 1.168
-0.1 30.850 0.466 -0.066 2.415
-0.3 23.680 0.358 -0.283 1.655
-0.5 17.880 0.270 -0.459 1.636
-0.7 12.720 0.192 -0.615 1.612
-0.9 8.417 0.127 -0.745 1.581
-1.1 5.330 0.080 -0.839 1.570
-1.3 3.254 0.049 -0.902 1.571
-1.5 1.821 0.027 -0.945 1.563
-1.7 0.953 0.014 -0.971 1.557
-1.9 0.485 0.007 -0.985 1.562
-2.1 0.238 0.003 -0.993 1.557
-2.3 0.120 0.001 -0.996 1.598

Beam waist : 1.532 mm

Appendix - 4
5. At distance 86 cm from the left mirror.

Position (m) Output power (mW) Transmission Inverse error function Beam waist (mm)
2.1 63.950 1.000 1.000 -
1.9 63.280 0.990 0.979 1.646
1.7 62.410 0.976 0.952 1.719
1.5 60.320 0.943 0.886 1.898
1.3 58.300 0.912 0.823 1.926
1.1 56.020 0.876 0.752 1.904
0.9 52.490 0.821 0.642 1.958
0.7 48.250 0.754 0.509 2.033
0.5 44.260 0.692 0.384 1.994
0.3 38.680 0.605 0.210 2.253
0.1 34.480 0.539 0.078 2.043
-0.1 29.170 0.456 -0.088 1.810
-0.3 23.760 0.372 -0.257 1.830
-0.5 18.930 0.296 -0.408 1.866
-0.7 14.570 0.228 -0.544 1.878
-0.9 10.730 0.168 -0.664 1.871
-1.1 7.807 0.122 -0.756 1.888
-1.3 5.407 0.085 -0.831 1.890
-1.5 3.741 0.058 -0.883 1.914
-1.7 2.382 0.037 -0.926 1.903
-1.9 1.527 0.024 -0.952 1.922
-2.1 0.930 0.015 -0.971 1.924
-2.3 0.553 0.009 -0.983 1.927
-2.5 0.309 0.005 -0.990 1.941
-2.7 0.182 0.003 -0.994 1.965

Beam waist : 1.913 mm

Appendix - 5
6. At distance 125 cm from the left mirror.

Position (m) Output power (mW) Transmission Inverse error function Beam waist (mm)
3.3 63.730 1.000 1.000 -
3.1 63.130 0.991 0.981 2.643
2.9 63.080 0.990 0.980 2.493
2.7 62.730 0.984 0.969 2.503
2.5 60.260 0.946 0.891 3.120
2.3 60.900 0.956 0.911 2.705
2.1 57.090 0.896 0.792 3.336
1.9 56.540 0.887 0.774 3.139
1.7 53.880 0.845 0.691 3.342
1.5 53.530 0.840 0.680 3.017
1.3 51.860 0.814 0.627 2.919
1.1 48.660 0.764 0.527 3.066
0.9 45.430 0.713 0.426 3.202
0.7 43.560 0.684 0.367 2.932
0.5 40.000 0.628 0.255 3.075
0.3 36.510 0.573 0.146 3.261
0.1 32.930 0.517 0.033 4.834
-0.1 29.800 0.468 -0.065 2.452
-0.3 26.390 0.414 -0.172 2.762
-0.5 22.920 0.360 -0.281 2.779
-0.7 19.470 0.306 -0.389 2.752
-0.9 16.740 0.263 -0.475 2.832
-1.1 14.160 0.222 -0.556 2.874
-1.3 11.690 0.183 -0.633 2.882
-1.5 9.450 0.148 -0.703 2.877
-1.7 7.598 0.119 -0.762 2.881
-1.9 6.014 0.094 -0.811 2.893
-2.1 4.746 0.074 -0.851 2.910
-2.3 3.566 0.056 -0.888 2.894
-2.5 2.647 0.042 -0.917 2.884
-2.7 1.971 0.031 -0.938 2.893
-2.9 1.455 0.023 -0.954 2.907
-3.1 1.010 0.016 -0.968 2.891
-3.3 0.723 0.011 -0.977 2.903
-3.5 0.484 0.008 -0.985 2.878
-3.7 0.325 0.005 -0.990 2.873
-3.9 0.217 0.003 -0.993 2.892

Beam waist : 2.958 mm

Appendix - 6
Appendix C : Beam waist Vs. Propagation distance

We calculated the divergence of beam and the minimum beam waist from the table below.

Distance "z"
28 41 56 69 86 125
(cm)
Beam size "FW"
0.579 0.959 1.146 1.532 1.913 2.958
(mm)

First, we assumed the propagation distance z=125cm is infinite. By assuming this, we could calculate the beam
divergence since in the far field. From above table, we know :

( 2) = 2.958125 = 2.37
Next, from equation (6) from the main paper, the half width of minimum beam waist is :

2 2 1064
0 = = = 143
2.37

Appendix - 7