NTR GOVERNMENT DEGREE COLLEGE

FOR
WOMEN
ONLINE WEBNAR
on
Fundamentals of LASER and its applications

by
Dr. Suresh Sripada
Assistant Professor & Head ( I/c)
JNTUH University college of Engineering Jagtial
Nachupally-505 501. Jagtial
 LASERS

Light
Amplification by
Stimulated
Emission of
Radiation
 Outline of presentation

• Introduction
• Special characteristics of laser
• Light amplification of laser
• Lasing action
• Different kinds of lasers &applications
 Introduction
 Laser is an outstanding achievement of science and technology in the 20 th
century.

Today lasers find wide applications in communication systems, computers, navigation

equipment, measuring instruments in medicine.

The theoretical prediction for laser oscillations was given by A. L Schawlow and
C.H.Townes in the year 1958
The first laser was demonstrated by T.H. Maiman in the year 1960 using a ruby crystal as
the active material
 Characteristics of LASER
The wide use of laser in science and technology is due to specific properties of laser
radiation. The most striking features of lasers are.

1)High degree of Coherence

2)Monochromatic
3)Directionality
4)Intensity ( Brightness)
Coherence

Laser source

Coherent beam

Coherence: A predictable correlation of the

amplitude and phase at any point with any
other point is called coherence. There are
two types of coherence

i)Temporal coherence
ii)Spatial coherence
 Directionality
The degree of directionality is expressed in terms of divergence.
The divergence tells us how rapidly the beam spreads when it is
emitted from the laser.

a1 a2

Laser source

d1

d2
At d1 and d2 distance from the laser window, if the diameter of the spots
are measured to be a1 and a2 respectively, then the angle of divergence ( in
degrees) can be expressed as
= (a2-a1) / 2(d2-d1)
Monochromatic

Laser

Oridinary source.

o

Frequency
 Intensity ( Brightness)

Laser beam gives out light into a narrow beam of light

and it energy is concentrated in a small region.
Even a 1watt laser light is more Intesnse than
100Watt ordinary incandescent lamp.

1 Watt laser light = 100 Watt ordinary lamp light.

1 milli watt He- Ne laser light = The sun light.
Incandescent vs. Laser
Light

1. Many wavelengths 1. Monochromatic

2. Multidirectional 2. Directional
3. Incoherent 3. Coherent
Comparisons between ordinary light and laser light

S.No Ordinary light Laser light

1. It is not coherent It is highly coherent

2 It is not directional It is more directional
3 It is less intense It is highly intense
4 The angular spread is The angular spread
more is less
5 Examples are sun Examples are
light, mercury vapour helium-neon laser,
lamp etc. carbon dioxide laser
etc.
 Interaction of light with matter
Spontaneous emission Stimulated emission
Stimulated absorption

Stimulated absorption
E2

E!
Stimulated emission

E2

E1
Spontaneous emission
Differences between spontaneous and stimulated
emissions
S.No Spontaneous emission Stimulated emission
1 It is random in character. That is, This type of emission takes place
this type of emission is a due to inducement of incident
statistical phenomenon photon

2 It is incoherent It is highly coherent

This type of emission dominates This type of emission dominates

3 in conventional light sources in laser sources

4 It is less intense It is more intense

The radiation of this type The radiation of this type

5 contains many wavelengths contains monochromatic
wavelength
6 Less directionality with more
angular spread High directionality with less
Stimulated Emission

The stimulated photons have unique

properties:
In phase with the incident photon
Same wavelength as the incident photon
Travel in same direction as incident photon
Light Amplification in
Laser
 Population Inversion
◦ A state in which a substance has been energized, or excited
to specific energy levels.
◦ More atoms or molecules are in a higher excited state.
◦ The process of producing a population inversion is called
pumping.
◦ Examples:
→by lamps of appropriate intensity
→by electrical discharge
N2 E2
N2
E2
N1

N1 E1
E1
Common Components of all
Lasers
1. Active Medium
The active medium may be solid crystals such as ruby or Nd:YAG, liquid
dyes, gases like CO2 or Helium/Neon, or semiconductors such as GaAs.
Active mediums contain atoms whose electrons may be excited to a
metastable energy level by an energy source.

2. Excitation Mechanism
Excitation mechanisms pump energy into the active medium by one or
more of three basic methods; optical, electrical or chemical.

3. High Reflectance Mirror

A mirror which reflects essentially 100% of the laser light.

4. Partially Transmissive Mirror

A mirror which reflects less than 100% of the laser light and
transmits the remainder.
 LASER COMPONENTS

Optical Resonator

Output
Beam
Active
Medium

High Reflectance Output Coupler

Mirror (HR) Mirror (OC)
Excitation
Mechanism

aser-Professionals.com
Pumping
 In order to achieve population inversion, we need to supply energy
to the laser medium.
 The process of supplying energy to the laser medium is called
pumping. The source that supplies energy to the laser medium is
called pump source.

 The type of pump source used is depends on the laser medium.

Different pump sources are used for different laser mediums to
achieve population inversion. Some of the most commonly used
pump sources are as follows:

1. Optical pumping
2. Electric discharge or excitation by electrons
3. Thermal pumping
4. Chemical reactions
5. Injection of current

Population inversion is easily achieved when the system of molecules

or atoms have the energy levels with favourable properties. For
example, the upper energy level has a long lifetime and the lower
 Lasing Action
1. Energy is applied to a medium raising electrons to an unstable
energy level.
2. These atoms spontaneously decay to a relatively long-lived,
lower energy, metastable state.
3. A population inversion is achieved when the majority of atoms
have reached this metastable state.
4. Lasing action occurs when an electron spontaneously returns
to its ground state and produces a photon.
5. If the energy from this photon is of the precise wavelength, it
will stimulate the production of another photon of the same
wavelength and resulting in a cascading effect.
6. The highly reflective mirror and partially reflective mirror
continue the reaction by directing photons back through the
medium along the long axis of the laser.
7. The partially reflective mirror allows the transmission of a small
amount of coherent radiation that we observe as the “beam”.
8. Laser radiation will continue as long as energy is applied to the
lasing medium.
 Lasing Action
Diagram
Excited State
Spontaneou
s Energy
Emission
Metastable
Introductio

State
Energy

Stimulated
Emission of
Radiation
n

Ground State
 Different kinds of LASERS
Lasers often described by the kind of lasing
medium they use –solid state , gas, liquid, dye,
and semiconductor

Solid state lasers: Ruby laser, Nd: YAG laser

Gas lasers: He-Ne laser, Co2 laser, Ar-ion laser

Liquid lasers: Se Ocl2 , Europium chelate laser

Dye lasers: Rhodamine 6G laser, Coumarin dye

laser

Semiconductor lasers: Ga As laser, In P laser.

Solid-state Laser

◦Example: Ruby Laser

◦Operation wavelength: 694.3 nm (IR)
◦3 level system: absorbs green/blue

•Gain Medium: crystal of aluminum oxide (Al2O3)

with small part of atoms of aluminum is replaced
with Cr3+ ions.
•Pump source: flash lamp.
•pumping mechanism -optical
•The ends of ruby rod serve as laser mirrors.
How a Ruby LASER works?
1. High-voltage electricity causes the
quartz flash tube to emit an intense
burst of light, exciting some of Cr3+
in the ruby crystal to higher energy
levels.

2. At a specific energy level, some

Cr3+ emit photons. At first the photons
are emitted in all directions. Photons
from one Cr3+ stimulate emission
of photons from other Cr3+ and the
light intensity is rapidly amplified.
3. Mirrors at each end reflect the
photons back and forth, continuing
this process of stimulated emission
and amplification.

4. The photons leave through the

partially silvered mirror at one
end. This is laser light.
 Three-level Laser System in Ruby LASER
Transition
step 1: Initially Cr atoms
are excited to a short-
lived high-energy state .

Photons of wave
length 5600Ao Stimulated Phtons
from flash tube. wave length 6943Ao

◦ Step 2: Then quickly

decay to the intermediate
metastable level.

◦ Step 3:Population
inversion is created
between lower ground
state and a higher-energy
metastable state.
 Applications of Ruby laser
1. Used for trimming resistors and integrated circuit
masks

2. Used for drilling high quality holes

3. In military, target designators and range finders

4. Distance measurement using pulse echo technique

5. Used in general research applications such as

plasma
production and fluorescence spectroscopy
 He-Ne Laser
◦ Example for gas laser: Helium-neon laser (He-Ne laser)
◦ Energy system: 5 level
◦ Operation wavelength: 632.8 nm
◦ Pump source: electrical discharge by using RF Oscillator
◦ Gain medium : ratio 10:1 mixture of Helium and Neon gases
◦ Type of laser: continuous laser
HELIUM-NEON GAS LASER
 *Laser Transition
He-Ne laser

E5 E4
E2

*
E3
E1
E2

Fast decay
Electron
excitation E1 Transition by diffusion
and collisions
process
E0

1 3.39 μm 2 0.6328 μm 3 1.15 μm

Working
Step1: By the electrical discharge in the gas tube , He atoms are exited to E2 and E1 through the
process of electron excitation process

Step2: By resonance Collisional transfer method, the helium atoms at E2 give up their excitation
energy to the ground state neon atoms, thus the Ne atoms are excited to their higher energy
level E5

Step3: similarly He atoms at E1 give up excitation energy to ground state Neon atoms and Ne atoms
are excited to E3 level

Step4: Since E5 and E3 of Neon atoms are metastable states, population inversion takes place. Any
one of spontaneously emitted photons will trigger the laser action.

Step5: Thus stimulated emission takes place between E5 (3s) and E2(2p) giving a laser
wave lentgh 6328Ao

Step6: similarly the stimulated emission takes place between E3(2s) and E4(3p) gives a laser light
wavelength 3.39 micro meter

Step7: another stimulated emission between E3(2s) and E2(2p) gives a laser light wavelength of
1.15micro meter.

Step8: The neon atoms undergo transition from E2 to E1 and from E4 to E1 in the form of fast decay
giving photons by spontaneous emission

Step9: the neon atoms are returned to the ground state from E1 by non-radiative diffusion method.

Step10: After arriving the ground state, once again the neon atoms are raised to E5 and E3 by excited
Helium atoms. Thus one ger continuous output form the He-Ne laser.
 Applications of He-Ne lasers
 It used in Holography
Used in scanners and bar coding readers
Used in Metrology
 PUMPING
Flow chart
Active medium

Stimulated absorption

Population inversion

Spontaneous emission

Stimulated emission

amplification

LASER
 NEODYMIUM YAG LASER
Rear Mirror
Adjustment Knobs
Safety Shutter Polarizer Assembly (optional)
Coolant
Beam Adjustment
Tube Knob
Output
Mirror

Q-switch Beam
(optional)
Nd:YAG Beam Tube
Laser Rod
Flashlamps
Pump
Cavity
Laser Cavity
Harmonic
Generator (optional)

aser-Professionals.com
Gas Laser
◦Example: CO2 Laser
◦Operation wavelength: 10.6  m
◦Energy system: 5 level energy system

• Gain Medium: CO2, N2 , He - 1:4:5 ratio

• Nitrogen helps to increase the population of the
Upper level while Helium helps to depopulate the
lower level.
• Pump source: Electrical discharge
• Type of laser: Pulsed laser
Modes of vibration and vibrational energy levels

We know that every molecule has electronic, vibrational and

Rotational energy levels. In CO2 laser , laser transition is taking place between
vibrational –energy levels. CO2 molecule can vibrate in symmetric stretching , bending
And asymmetric stretching modes. Each of these modes is characterized by
definite frequency of vibration.
The molecule’s vibrational energies in symmetric stretching
mode is given by

Ex = (m+1/2) hν where m= 0,1, 2

The degree of excitation is characterized by

the integer “m’

Since the CO2 molecule is vibrating with a combination

of modes, The state of vibration can be described by
three integers ( m, n, q)

Where m, n, q are the integers corresponding

to the degree of excitation in the symmetric
stretching, bending and asymmetric stretching
Modes respectively
 The state of vibration can be described by three integers ( m, n q)

a) Symmetric stretching
vibration ( m)

b) Bending vibrations ( n)

c) Asymmetric stretching
vibrations
Construction of CO2 laser
Step-1: When a discharge is passed through the tube, the nitrogen
molecules are excited and are raised to higher excited state.

Step-2:The excited energy of nitrogen molecules is transferred to carbon-di-

oxide
molecules through collisions and carbon-di-oxide molecules are raised
to
their excited vibrational energy level E5 (001) from their ground state.

Step3: The energy level E5 is a metastable state energy level. Hence there

is population inversion.

Step4: Spontaneously emitted photons of wavelength 10.6m and 9.6m

induce
the CO2 molecules to undergo stimulated emission by laser transitions
from E5 to E4 ( giving laser wavelength of 10.6 m and from E5 and E3

giving laser wavelength of 9.6m.

Step5: Since the laser transition from E5 to E4 has higher gain than from E5 to
E3, the laser usually oscillates at 10.6m.
◦.
Step 6: The CO2 molecules from E4 and E3 are
returned to
their ground through fast decay and
diffusion.

Step 7:Since the laser transition from E5 to E3 are

returned
to their ground through fast 50-60 W/m

◦If the gas flow is perpendicular to the discharge ,the output power
can be raised to about 10 kilowatt/m. This type of CO 2 laser is known
as Transversely Excited Atmospheric pressure laser or TEA laser. Thus
the gas flow is maintained along the axis of the tube at normal
atmospheric pressure and the current in the arc flows at right angles
to the axis of the laser
CO2 Laser Applications

a. cutting, welding, marking, drilling

b. CD player, DVD player
c. Laser printers, laser pointers
d. Photolithography
e. Laser light display
f. Pollution monitoring and remote
sensing applications
 Semiconductor lasers
Two type of lasers
1)Homo –junction lasers and
2) Hetero –Junction lasers.

Homo-junction means that a p-n junction is formed by

a single crystalline material such that the basic material has
been the same on both sides of the junction.

Hetero-junction means that the material on one side

of the junction differs from that on the other side of the
junction. In modern Ga As diode lasers, a hetero junction is
formed between Ga As and Ga Al As.
Homo junction laser-GaAS
 Energy gap of GaAs ( g ) is = 1.44 eV

 Out put of GaAs laser diode having wavelength is = 8628 Ao

Output is pulse mode at 100 temperature

Drawbacks of homo-junction laser
diode
 Threshold current density is very large i.e 400 A/mm2

only pulsed mode output is obtained

 laser output has large beam divergence

Poor coherence and poor stability

Electromagnetic filed confinement is poor

Sl.No Name of the layer Material used Material used
for GaAs diode for InP diode

λ= 0.7 m - 0.8 λ= 1.2m -

m 1.6m
01 Contact layer P+ GaAs p-type InP

02 P-type wide band GaAlAs InP

gap confinement
layer
03 P-type narrow GaAs InGaAsP
bandgap (active
layer)
04 N-type wide GaAlAs InP
bandgap
Confinement layer
05 N-typeGaAs laser : o/p=GaAs
substrate 0.8 m when bandgap
InP is 1.55 eV
InP laser: : o/p= 1.55 m when bandgap 0.8 eV
Advantages of Hetero-junction semiconductor
lasers
Threshold current density is very low i.e 10 A/mm2

Continuous wave operationa can also possible

High output power ( 10mW) with low operating

current

 very narrow beam divergence with high coherence

Electromagnetic filed confinement is rich

Applications of Lasers
◦ 1. Welding

LASERS in Industry
◦ 2. Cutting
◦ 3. Drilling
◦ 4. Heat Treatment

Welding Cutting
 LASERS in Medicine
◦Welding Retinal de attachment by Argon ion LASER.
◦Eye lens curvature corrections.
◦LASER Angioplasty for removal of arteries block by Nd-YAG
LASER.
◦In dermatology to remove freckles birth marks and tattoos
by using Ruby LASER.
◦Destroy kidney stones and Gallbladder stones.
◦Cancer diagnostics and their therapy.
 LASERS IN OPTICALCOMMUNICATION & Data storage
◦ LASERS are used in open space communication since they are highly
directional .
◦ LASERS are used in Fiber optic communication since have immunity to
cross talk and signal security, low transmission loss.
◦ LASERS are used in optical data storage devices such as CD and DVDs
Writing data on CD by Laser
Acknowledgments
Surayya Jabeen
Head Dept. of Physics
Webinar Convener

Dr.T.Vijayalaxmi
Head Dept. of Mathematics
IQAC Coordinator

S. Gangadarhar
Chairman & Principal
NTR GDC (W), MBNR