Solid State Lasers XXXIV: Technology and Devices

The primary purpose of this conference is to highlight the development of new laser sources, advanced technologies, components, and laser system designs that can benefit the development, commercialization, and fielding of new laser platforms based on solid state media and associated frequency-conversion techniques. As the field matures, this conference provides a forum for the discussion of challenges and advances in materials research, applied science, and design innovations that are fundamental to the operation and applications of solid state lasers. Developments in the IR, visible, and UV will be presented, with emphasis on new materials, components, fabrication techniques, and design alternatives that can enhance laser performance, reduce footprint and/or increase device efficiency, lifetime, and reliability while reducing life-cycle costs. Descriptions of advances necessary to better meet the needs of the many industrial, biomedical, life sciences, communications, lidar, sensing, space and military systems, and applications in which solid state lasers play a significant role are especially solicited.

Key topics include diode-pumped lasers, novel gain materials and gain geometries, ceramic materials, alternative power scaling and resonator design approaches, hybrid fiber/solid state lasers, seed lasers for solid state/fiber amplifiers, and recent developments in tuning, Q-switching, ultrafast pulse generation, and frequency-conversion technologies. Papers describing new modeling tools, measurement techniques, and system miniaturization efforts are also welcome.

Several sessions in the area of lasers utilizing thin disk gain media are planned. Contributions on solid state disk lasers, disk laser gain materials including ceramics, and applications of disk lasers are especially solicited.

Papers are again solicited for a series of critical technologies sessions on 'Challenges and Issues in Field, Flight and Space Qualifying Laser Components & Systems' addressing the needs of ruggedizing airborne and space-qualifiable platforms for communications, lidar, and sensing applications.

Technical areas include (but are not limited to):

• high-power solid state lasers and laser systems
• visible and UV solid state lasers
• eye-safe, mid- and far-IR solid state lasers
• disk lasers
• slab and rectangular waveguide lasers
• single crystal (coilable & cladded) fiber lasers
• seed lasers for solid state and fiber amplifiers
• Q-switching and mode locking media and techniques
• new gain materials and composites
• novel resonator and pumping designs
• donut mode and vortex beam lasers
• resonantly pumped lasers
• single-frequency and narrow line lasers
• lasers using ceramic gain media
• laser modeling, testing, and characterization methods
• high-power beam delivery and characterization
• techniques for improving laser system reliability and efficiency
• compact laser devices and miniaturization efforts
• hybrid fiber/bulk laser systems
• intra-cavity and extra-cavity frequency-converted lasers
• specially designed solid state lasers for specific applications including:
• photoacoustic imaging
• medical, life sciences, and biophotonics
• industrial, microelectronic, imaging, and display
• lidar, atmospheric, aerospace, and military systems.