Indigenously Designed and Development of Actively Q-Switched Nanosecond Nd:YAG Laser

The design, development, and characterization of an actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser system with high peak power is presented in this paper. Establishing the design characteristics and validation of indigenously developed pulsed Nd:YAG laser along with its flashlamp electrical power supply system is the main goal of this research. To optimize the laser’s major parameters—the optical resonator design, flashlamp pumping, and Q-switching mechanism—theoretical analysis and simulations are carried out. The modelling results guided the experimental development by offering important insights into the predicted performance characteristics of the laser system with relatively higher extraction efficiency, pulse-to-pulse stability as well as high optical-to-optical efficiency. For the laser system to operate effectively and dependably, the laser cavity design along with the pulse-forming network, trigger circuit, and simmer circuit of the flashlamp power supply, have to be carefully designed and implemented. The demonstration of a high peak power actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser oscillator with a repetition rate of 10 Hz, pulse width of 30 nanosecond with maximum pulse energy of 130 mJ is successfully achieved. The Nd:YAG laser system’s fruitful development and characterization described in this paper, together with the electrical system’s native design can be used to design and build indigenous electrical power supply for both flashlamp pumped as well as diode pumped Nd:YAG laser systems and maximizing the optimization of its functionality.