3 level laser system

(ULL)

(LLL)

Example – Ruby laser

 4 level laser system

(ULL)

(LLL)

Example: He – Ne Laser, Nd: YAG

LLL
LASER
 Components of Laser

• Active medium

• Pump / Pumping Source

• Optical Cavity / resonator

 Active medium (Gain medium)
• Medium where lasing action take place
• Must have a metastable state to support stimulated
emission

• Solid – Ruby laser, Nd:YAG

• Gas – He-Ne, Carbon dioxide
• Liquid – Dyes (rhodamine 6G)
• Semiconductor - GaAs
 Pump
To create the population inversion condition energy is
provided by pump / pumping source.

• Optical pumping (Solid state laser)

• Electrical discharge (Gas laser)
• Thermal or chemical techniques
• Collisional Techniques (Gas laser)
 Optical Cavity / Resonator
Made by keeping active medium between two mirrors
such that one is full reflective (~100%) and other is
partially reflective (~ 90%).
- provide positive feedback (for amplification)
- give special characteristics to laser light
Different Laser System
 He-Ne laser

Invention:

• 1961 Helium-Neon Laser (Gas) by Ali Javan in

Bell Telephone Laboratories, USA
 Characteristics
Type : Gas Laser
Roll of He : Help in creating the population
inversion condition in energy level of Ne
Active Centre : Ne atoms
Pumping Method : Electrical Discharge / collision

Level : 4 Level lasing system

Optical Resonator : Two mirrors partially and totally

reflecting

Power Output : ~ few milli Watts

Nature of Output : Continuous

Wavelength Emitted : 0.6328 μm, Other wavelengths can be

1.15 μm and 3.39 μm.
 He-Ne Laser

• It is a four level atom laser with a mixture of helium and

neon(helium to neon (typically around 7:1 to 10:1) at a
pressure of between 2 and 5 Torr (atmospheric pressure is
about 760 Torr )).

• It operates in Continuous Working (CW) mode (the Helium-

Neon laser was the first continuous laser).

• Superior beam quality (Highly Coherent, low divergence).

Schematic of a Helium-Neon Laser
Excited levels of
Helium at 20.61 eV is
very close to a level in
Neon at 20.66 eV

Collision of a helium
with neon atom, the
energy can be
transferred from the
Helium to the Neon
atom.
 Applications

• Bar-code scanners
• Hologram generation
• Fiber Optic Experimentation
• Alignment
• Interferometry
 Characteristics
Type : Solid State Laser
Host : Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (Y3Al5O12)

Active Centre : Neodymium

Pumping Method : Optical Pumping

Level : 4 Level lasing system

Optical Resonator : Ends of rods silver coated

Two mirrors partially and totally
reflecting
Power Output : ~ killo Watts

Nature of Output : Continuous / Pulsed

Wavelength Emitted : 1.064 μm (IR region)

Energy Level Diagram of Nd–YAG LASER
Applications
 Ruby Laser

• 1960: Ruby-Laser (1st laser) by Maiman.

 Characteristics
Type : Solid State Laser
Host : Ruby (Al2O3)

Active Centre : Cr3+ ion

Pumping Method : Optical Pumping

Level : 3 Level lasing system

Optical Resonator : Ends of rods silver coated

Two mirrors partially and totally
reflecting
Power Output : order of 100 Watts

Nature of Output : Pulse

Wavelength Emitted : 0.6943 μm (visible region)

Applications of Ruby Laser

q It is used as a high power source of Pulse

coherent radiation in interferometry and in
pulsed holography.
q It is used for drilling brittle material,
soldering, welding, and in-range finding.
q Medical laser systems for tattoo removal and
cosmetic dermatology