The project comprises the study of various optical sources and modulators of the wavelength range between 2 and 12 micron.
1/ The challenge is to design an innovative low-voltage modulator (<20V) to allow CO2 lasers to Q-switch (Eng: Q-switching) at high repetition rates (>10 kHz) in combination with higher optical powers (>15 W) and for larger laser beam diameters. than now possible (?>2mm) in industrial material processing applications. The working principle of our Q-switch uses the switchable reflection of an electron mirror in resonance with a diffraction grating.
2/ Our first goal was the realization of an efficient mid-infrared Chromium-doped Zinc Selenide (Cr2+:ZnSe) laser with an emission wavelength around 2500nm. Afterwards we would try to integrate the laser as a light source in a mid-infrared Mach-Zehnder transmission interferometer, and we would also investigate how we can miniaturize the Cr2+:ZnSe laser. Furthermore, since laser miniaturization requires efficient cooling of the active medium, we would investigate the potentials of Raman scattering-based laser cooling - a new cooling technique in which the excess energy in the laser medium would be removed in the form of radiation.
3/ As part of this project, we have also succeeded in designing an efficient, intrinsic cooling technique for Raman lasers in which the excess energy in the laser medium is converted into radiation via CARS. We have theoretically shown that, in case of perfect phase matching, CARS converts a pump photon and a Stokes photon into a pump photon and an anti-Stokes photon, and that CARS extracts energy from the Raman medium.
4/ Compact optical elements with surface texture at 2-12 µm
Here the aim was to realize new optical components by defining the functionality in the surface texture of the component

Runtime: 2004 - 2007