Ti:sapphire laser

Laser characteristic:
• Solid state laser

• gain medium : sapphire (Al2O3) that is doped with Ti3+ ions(0.15% or 0.25%)

• Crystal properties:
- high thermal conductivity
- good chemical inertness
- good mechanical rigidity
- Hight hardness

• Laser wavelengths: 650 – 1100 nm (maximum gain and laser efficiency are
obtained around 800nm)
 Laser characteristic:
• In continues wave: output power get nearly 50 W
• In mode-locking output power of get to terawatts
 Pumping mechanism:
 

• Pumped by another laser: usually argon laser:

wavelength

• 4 – level energy scheme:

 Rate Equations
 
 X- fold configuration
• Crystal length : 2-10mm (depending on doping concentration).

• The crystal arranged with the output faces of the crystal at Brewster’s angle

• Birefringent filter, installed within the cavity at Brewster’s angle (rotate in order to tune the wavelength)
 Femtosecond mod-locked laser
• Two prisms for intracavity dispersion compensation and uses the Kerr lens mode-locking technique.
• The Kerr lens mode-locking (KLM):
- Uses the nonlinear effect of self focusing
- Produce an intensity-depend change in the refractive index of a material.

• Pulse duration : 10fs <

•  pulse repetition rate : 80 MHz
(sometimes higher)
 Kerr lens mode locking
• Passive mode-locking
• Kerr effect -  a change in the refractive index
of a material in response to an applied electric
field.
• non-uniform power distribution in a 
Gaussian beam (as found in laser resonators)
the refractive index changes across the beam
profile;
• the refractive index experienced by the beam is
greater in the center of the beam than at the
edge. 
• his is called self-focusing.
• Intensity changes with lengths of nanoseconds
are amplified by the Kerr-lensing process and
the pulselength further shrinks to achieve
higher field strengths in the center of the pulse.
 Applications
• Infrared spectroscopy of semiconductors.
• Multiphoton microscopy.
•  cold micromachining.

Example of multiphoton microscopy imaging of BPAE cells

using Ti:sapphire laser
 Photo Dynamic Therapy
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment that combines light energy with a drug
(photosensitizer) designed to destroy cancerous and precancerous cells after light activation .
Photosensitizers are activated by a specific wavelength of light energy, usually from a laser. The
photosensitizer is nontoxic until it is activated by light. However, after light activation, the
photosensitizer becomes toxic to the targeted tissue.

• PDT is used to treat several diseases such as : acne, psoriasis, age-related macular
degeneration, and several cancers
• Why use Ti:sapphire ?
- The wavelengths tuning range encompass the range of energy required for most of PDT.
- The near infrared output allows direct promotion of non resonant simultaneous two-photon
excitation
- replacement of visible or ultraviolent excitation with no-damage.

• Example : PDT for Barretts Esophagus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-pZumCz7Q