Pulsed Yb:fiber system capable of >250kW peak power with tunable pulses in the 50ps to 1.5ns range

We have demonstrated a pulsed 1064 nm PM Yb:fiber laser system incorporating a seed source with a tunable pulse repetition rate and pulse duration and a multistage fiber amplifier, ending in a large core (>650 μm 2 mode field area), tapered fiber amplifier. The amplifier chain is all-fiber, with the exception of the final amplifier’s pump combiner, allowing robust, compact packaging. The air-cooled laser system is rated for >60 W of average power and beam quality of M 2 250 kW peak power across the pulse tuning range. We present frequency conversion to 532 nm with efficiency greater than 70% and conversion to UV via frequency tripling, with initial feasibility experiments showing >30% UV conversion efficiency. Application results of the laser in scribing, thin film removal and micro-machining will be discussed.