About This Webinar
In the mid-2000s, Ytterbium (Yb)-based laser amplifiers emerged as a complement to Ti:Sapphire (Ti:Sa) amplifiers offering greater flexibility at the expense of lower energies and longer pulse durations. The success of Ti:Sa in scientific applications like time-resolved studies was determined by the availability of short, energetic pulses over a broad range of wavelengths, while Yb-based amplifiers found their main applications in studies of solid-state samples and research on the processing and modification of materials.
The increased interest in functional materials and the need for greater precision in advanced manufacturing have fostered the market penetration of Yb amplifiers, in parallel with the continued presence of Ti:Sa amplifiers as scientific workhorses but unsuitable for industrial manufacturing applications.
In the last decade, the development of Yb amplifiers in fiber and bulk media with higher energies and shorter pulse durations started to narrow the gap with Ti:Sa amplifiers. In the meantime, optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) pumped by Yb amplifiers became able to provide not only enhanced power and energy but also shorter pulses, now comparable with the ones available with Ti:Sa-pumped OPAs.
Arrigoni discusses the state of the art of Yb amplifiers, focusing on the pursuit of higher energies and shorter pulse duration, and of advanced OPAs and non-linear pulse compression devices. He showcases real-world examples of their use in scientific research and industrial manufacturing and shows how they will continue to contribute to both application areas.
*** This presentation premiered during the
2024 Photonics Spectra Scientific Lasers Summit. For more information on Photonics Media conferences and summits, visit
events.photonics.com
About the presenter
Marco Arrigoni is the vice president of marketing at Light Conversion with over 30 years of experience in market development for ultrafast lasers.