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，微加工和制造。 例如，UV激光器被广泛用于制造用于光通信和传感市场的基于光纤布拉格光栅的产品。 有许多不同的紫外激光器实现，如准分子激光器，短波长激光二极管，和那些基于二极管泵浦固态激光器的非线性频率混合;也有许多商业供应商。 到2025年，全球紫外激光市场预计将达到4.7亿美元。 虽然现有的源可以满足各种需求，但它们通常涉及批量实施，这对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UV辐射感兴趣：光纤激光器允许在没有特定冷却要求的情况下进行室温操作，可以支持波长可调谐性，具有高光束质量，并且可以使用先进的光纤设计在输出功率方面进一步缩放。 这项研究代表了麦吉尔大学和O/E Land Inc.之间的战略合作。开发一种超紧凑、低成本的紫外激光器，具有高稳定性、高效率和优异的光束质量，工作波长为255 nm至270 nm。 成功的项目成果将使O/E Land能够开发这些新的激光产品，填补商业上的空白，扩大其技术组合，并在满足客户需求方面获得竞争优势。 该项目将为学员提供解决复杂问题、进行批判性分析和发展对广泛的光子学领域非常有价值的特定技术技能的机会，包括光学元件和仪器供应商，如MPB Communications（蒙特利尔，QC）、QPS Photronics（蒙特利尔，QC）、EXFO（魁北克市，QC）、OZ Optics（渥太华，ON）和Lumentum（渥太华，ON）。

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).