Developing an ultra compact UV laser by frequency quadrupling a mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser

紫外激光器广泛用于研究和开发，以及许多领域和应用，如生物技术，微机械加工和制造业。例如，紫外激光器广泛用于制造基于光纤布拉格光栅的产品，用于光通信和传感市场。有许多不同的紫外激光实现，如准分子激光器，短波长的激光二极管，和那些基于非线性频率混合的二极管泵浦固体激光器；也有一些商业供应商。到2025年，全球紫外激光器市场预计将达到4.7亿美元。虽然现有的资源可以满足各种需求，但它们通常涉及批量实现，这为实现超紧凑和坚固的单元带来了挑战。因此，人们对使用光纤激光器和非线性频率转换来产生紫外线辐射很感兴趣：光纤激光器允许在室温下工作，没有特定的冷却要求，可以支持波长可调性，具有高光束质量，并且可以使用先进的光纤设计进一步扩大输出功率。

UV lasers are used extensively in research and development, as well as in many fields and applications, such as biotechnology, micromachining, and manufacturing. For example, UV lasers are used extensively to manufacture fiber Bragg grating-based products for both the optical communications and sensing markets. There are a number of different UV laser implementations, such as excimer lasers, short wavelength laser diodes, and those based on nonlinear frequency mixing of diode-pumped solid state lasers; there are also a number of commercial suppliers. By 2025, the global UV laser market is expected to reach $470 million. While existing sources can meet various demands, they often involve bulk implementations which creates challenges for achieving ultra compact and rugged units. Thus, there has been interest in using fiber lasers and nonlinear frequency conversion to generate UV radiation: fiber lasers allow for room temperature operation with no specific cooling requirements, can support wavelength tunability, have high beam quality, and can be scaled further in output power using advanced fiber designs. This research represents a strategic collaboration between McGill University and O/E Land Inc. to develop an ultra-compact, low-cost UV laser with high stability, high efficiency, and excellent beam quality operating at wavelengths from 255 nm to 270 nm. A successful project outcome will allow O/E Land to develop these new laser products and address a gap in what is commercially available, expand their technology portfolio, and give them a competitive advantage in meeting their clients' needs. The project will provide trainees with opportunities to solve complex problems, perform critical analysis, and develop specific technical skills that are highly valuable to the broad photonics sector, including optical component and instrumentation suppliers such as MPB Communications (Montreal, QC), QPS Photronics (Montreal, QC), EXFO (Quebec City, QC), OZ Optics (Ottawa, ON), and Lumentum (Ottawa, ON).