OPTICAL AND LASER PARAMETERS OF MICROPORO US QUARTZ GLASS DOPED WITH A DYE-ACTIVATED EPOXY POLYMER

Microporous quartz glass doped with a dye-activated epoxy polymer was developed to serve as a new solid-state active medium for dye-lasers. Due to its structural specifics, the medium has enhanced mechanical, p hysical, and thermooptical characteristics. Good optical and mechanica l properties of the glasses are combined with long service life of las er dyes in polymers. The temperature coefficient of refractive index o f the new medium dn/dT = 7.5 . 10(-6) K-1 is substantially less than t hat of the polymers used now or of many other optical glasses and crys tals. The generation spectRUM of microporous quartz glass doped with r hodamine-C-activated epoxy polymer excited by a YAG:Nd3+ laser in a no nselective Cavity lied in the range 610-640 NM. The generation efficie ncy was approximately 20%. The tuning range 607-665 nm was achieved in a laser with distributed feedback and a linewidth of 0.03 nm. The ser vice life reached approximately 10(4) pulses which measured up to the best dye-activated solid-state matrices under the given conditions.