• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.865-872
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• 2017

For more than 10 years, the laser process has been studied for dismantling work; however, relatively few research works have addressed the effect of high-power fiber laser cutting for thick sections. Since in the nuclear sector, a significant quantity of thick material is required to be cut, this study aims to improve the reliability of laser cutting for such work and indicates guidelines to optimize the cutting procedure, in particular, nozzle combinations (standoff distance and focus position), to minimize waste material. The results obtained show the performance levels that can be reached with 10 kW fiber lasers, using which it is possible to obtain narrower kerfs than those found in published results obtained with other lasers. Nonetheless, fiber lasers appear to show the same effects as those of $CO_2$ and ND:YAG lasers. Thus, the main factor that affects the kerf width is the focal position, which means that minimum laser spot diameters are advised for smaller kerf widths.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• 제1권5호
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• pp.525-528
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• 2017

High-energy, high-power, quasi-continuous wave (QCW) operation of double-clad Yb fiber lasers incorporating an incoherent signal combiner is reported. We constructed four efficient, high-power Yb fiber lasers, each of which produced rectangular pulses at 1080 nm with a pulse energy greater than 15 J, and a pulse duration of 10 ms at a repetition rate of 10 Hz, corresponding to an average power of over 150 W and a peak power of over 1.5 kW for ~200 W of incident pump power at 915 nm. These laser outputs were combined by a homemade incoherent fiber signal combiner with low loss, yielding a maximum peak power of ~6.0 kW in a beam with $M^2{\approx}12.5$. The detailed laser characteristics and prospects for further power scaling in QCW operation are discussed.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• 제6권6호
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• pp.521-549
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• 2022

Fiber lasers have made remarkable progress over the past three decades, and they now serve far-reaching applications and have even become indispensable in many technology sectors. As there is an insatiable appetite for improved performance, whether relating to enhanced spatio-temporal stability, spectral and noise characteristics, or ever-higher power and brightness, thermal management in these systems becomes increasingly critical. Active convective cooling, such as through flowing water, while highly effective, has its own set of drawbacks and limitations. To overcome them, other synergistic approaches are being adopted that mitigate the sources of heating at their roots, including the quantum defect, concentration quenching, and impurity absorption. Here, these optical methods for thermal management are briefly reviewed and discussed. Their main philosophy is to carefully select both the lasing and pumping wavelengths to moderate, and sometimes reverse, the amount of heat that is generated inside the laser gain medium. First, the sources of heating in fiber lasers are discussed and placed in the context of modern fiber fabrication methods. Next, common methods to measure the temperature of active fibers during laser operation are outlined. Approaches to reduce the quantum defect, including tandem-pumped and short-wavelength lasers, are then reviewed. Finally, newer approaches that annihilate phonons and actually cool the fiber laser below ambient, including radiation-balanced and excitation-balanced fiber lasers, are examined. These solutions, and others yet undetermined, especially the latter, may prove to be a driving force behind a next generation of ultra-high-power and/or ultra-stable laser systems.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.117-129
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• 2013

We briefly review the recent progress in passively mode-locked fiber lasers (PMLFLs) based on semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) and discuss the detailed characterization of a SESAM-based, passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber (EDF) laser operating in the 1.5-${\mu}m$ spectral range for various configurations. A simple and compact design of the laser cavity enables the PMLFL to generate either femtosecond or wavelength-tunable picosecond pulses with high stability as the intra-cavity filtering method is altered. All the cavities investigated in our experiments present self-starting, continuous-wave mode-locking with no Q-switching instabilities. The excellent stability of the source eventually enables the wavelength-tunable PMLFL to be used as a master oscillator for a power-amplifier source based on a large-core EDF, generating picosecond pulses of >10-kW peak power and >100-nJ pulse energy.

• 한국광학회지
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.209-214
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• 2021

본 논문에서는 단파장 영역인 1018 nm에서 최고 출력 626 W를 가진 고출력 이터븀(ytterbium, Yb) 첨가 광섬유 레이저에 대해 보고한다. Yb 광섬유 레이저에서 이득률이 낮은 단파장 영역인 1018 nm에서 레이저를 발진시키기 위한 조건을 이론적으로 조사해보고, 광섬유 끝 단단면 조건에 따른 되먹임 신호를 측정하여 안정적인 레이저 발진 조건에 대하여 연구하였다. 그 결과를 바탕으로 제작한 단일 공진기 구조의 Yb 광섬유 레이저 시스템으로부터 729 W의 펌프 출력에서 최고 출력 626 W의 1018 nm 파장 레이저 출력을 안정적으로 얻을 수 있었으며 그때 기울기 효율은 86.6%로 측정되었다. 본 연구에서 얻은 1018 nm 파장의 Yb 광섬유 레이저 결과는 지금까지 국내에서 보고된 1030 nm 이하 단파장에서 발진된 Yb 광섬유 레이저 출력 중 가장 높은 출력이며, 세계적으로도 상용 Yb 광섬유와 광부품을 사용한 결과 중 가장 높은 출력에 해당된다. 그리고 향후 더 높은 출력을 얻기 위한 방법에 대해 논의하고자 한다.

• 정보저장시스템학회논문집
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.53-59
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• 2011

We have developed a compact and high-power mode-locked fiber laser for multilayered optical memory. Fiber lasers have the potential to be compact and stable light sources that can replace bulk solid-state lasers. To generate high-power pulses, we used stretched-pulse mode locking. The average power and pulse width of the output pulse from the fiber laser that we developed were 109 mW and 2.1 ps, respectively. The dispersion of the output pulse was compensated with an external single-mode fiber of 2.5 m length. The pulse was compressed from 2.1 ps to 93 fs by dispersion compensation. The fiber laser we have developed is possible to use as a light source of multilayered optical memory. We also present a fiber confocal microscope as an alignment-free readout system of multilayered optical memories. The fiber confocal microscope does not require fine pinhole position alignment because the fiber core is used as the point light source and the pinhole, and both of which are always located at the conjugated point. The configuration reduces the required accuracy of pinhole position alignment. With these techniques we can present an all-fiber recording and readout system for multilayered memories.

• 한국광학회지
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.135-140
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• 2017

본 논문에서는 고출력 광섬유 레이저를 위한 광섬유 칩 기반 all-fiber $7{\times}1$ 펌프 광 결합기의 제작에 대하여 보고한다. 광섬유 칩은 코어, 클래딩 직경이 각각 20, $400{\mu}m$인 광섬유를 길이 방향으로 식각하여 제작하였다. 7개의 입력 광섬유 부분은 105, $125{\mu}m$의 코어, 클래딩 직경을 가진 7개의 입력 광섬유를 원통형 다발로 제작하여 광섬유 칩의 $375{\mu}m$부분에 융착하였고, 1개의 출력 광섬유는 코어, 클래딩 직경이 각각 25, $250{\mu}m$ 광섬유를 광섬유 칩의 $250{\mu}m$부분에 융착하여 최종적으로 $7{\times}1$ 펌프광 결합기를 제작하였다. 제작된 광섬유 칩 기반 $7{\times}1$ 펌프 광 결합기의 포트별 평균 광 전달 효율은 약 90.2%로 나타났다.

• 한국광학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.1-17
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• 2016

최근 20 여년간의 괄목할만한 발전을 통해 단일 광섬유 레이저의 출력은 이미 kW 수준을 상회하고 있으며, 기존의 벌크 방식 레이저의 대체 기술로서 여전히 학계 및 산업계의 뜨거운 관심을 받고 있다. 본 논문은 이와 같은 광섬유 레이저의 괄목할만한 성장을 가능하게 한, 이터븀(Ytterbium) 혼입 이득 광섬유 사용 방식, 레이저 다이오드 펌프와 이중 클래딩 광섬유 구조를 통한 광학적 펌프 방식, 더 나아가서 양자결함을 최소화 하는 종렬 펌핑 방식 등 그 주요 요소 기술들을 개괄하고, 그 극한적 고출력화에 따른 발진 효율 및 특성 저하, 시스템 열화 및 불안정성 증대 등과 같은 고출력 광섬유 레이저 기술 자체가 직면하고 있는 다양한 기술적 문제점 및 그 완화 방안을 논의한다. 여기에서는 광섬유 레이저의 고출력화와 더불어 야기되는 다양한 형태의 광섬유내 비선형 현상, 광섬유 손상 및 모드 불안정 현상에 대한 논의를 포함한다. 이와 더불어, 전술한 다양한 출력 제한 현상을 극복함과 동시에 광섬유 레이저의 출력을 현격한 수준으로 더욱 증가시키기 위한 대체 방안으로 최근 주목을 많이 받고 있는 다중 빔 결합 기술에 대해 개괄적으로 논의한다. 특히, 분광형 다중 빔 결합 기술의 개념적 시스템 구성 요소 및 각 부문별 요구 기술에 대해 보다 심화된 논점을 둔다. 최종적으로 현 수준을 뛰어 넘는 광섬유 레이저의 출력 증대와 본 기술의 지속적 발전을 위한 앞으로의 발전 방향을 논의한다.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.33-36
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• 2009

Laser ablation with femtosecond lasers is highly promising for microfabrication of materials. Also, the high peak power of femtosecond lasers could induce a multiphoton absorption to ablate transparent materials. Similar results have also been were obtained in the case of optical fibers. In this paper, we present our experimental results of femtosecond laser microstructuring of optical fiber and its applications to microelectronic components and fiber optic devices. Finally, we directly produced micro holes with femtosecond laser pulses in a single step by moving an optical fiber in a preprogrammed structure. When water was introduced into a hole drilled from the bottom surface of the optical fiber, the effects of blocking and redeposition of ablated material were greatly reduced and the aspect ratio of the depth of the hole was increased. We have presented circular and rectangular-shaped holes in optical fiber.

• 한국광학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국광학회 2009년도 창립 20주년기념 특별학술발표회
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• pp.312-313
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• 2009