Chirped Volume Bragg Gratings

Wavelength 600-2500 nm; Bandwidth 0.2-100 nm; Diffraction Efficiency 5-99%; Thickness Up to 50 mm; Aperture Up to 20x20 mm

OptiGrate’s chirped volume Bragg gratings (CBGs) are diffractive optical elements operating as reflecting Bragg gratings with a period gradually varying along direction of beam propagation. This feature results in reflection of different wavelengths from different holographically recorded planes inside the grating.

OptiGrate’s BragGrate™ Pulse is the first commercially available Chirped Bragg Grating (CBG) based product designed for the stretching and compression of ultra-short (femtosecond and picosecond) laser pulses in Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) and other Ultra-Short Pulse Laser (USPL) systems. It is the most compact and robust stretcher/compressor solution for high-energy and high-average-power ultra-short pulsed laser systems.

The BragGrate™ Tuner is a reflecting volume Bragg grating with chirped period in one direction across its aperture, recorded in a bulk of photosensitive silicate glass. BragGrate™ Tuners can be used as an output coupler or HR mirror in a laser resonator. It enables both spectral stabilization and tuning of the laser radiation. High laser damage threshold makes these gratings suitable for usage in high-power and high-energy pulsed lasers. Tunable lasers based on these components are simple, compact, and robust. Simple linear translation of grating without angular adjustment is needed for wavelength tuning. Lasers with BragGrate™ Tuners can operate in selective laser melting (SLM) regime.

Key Features:

• Compact Geometry and Easy-to-align
• Ideal for Industrial and Scientific Applications
• High-power Operation: Up to 1 kW Average Power
• High-energy Operation: Up to 2 mJ Pulse Energy
• Environmentally Stable
• Robust, Easy to Handle and Clean
• Multiplexed Gratings for Idle/Signal Control (BragGrate™ Tuner)
• Stretcher and Compressor in One Element
• Operating Range: 600 nm to 2500 nm
• Typical Center Wavelength: 1030 nm
• Spectral Bandwidth: 0.2 nm to 100 nm; 50 GHz to 500 GHz
• Typical Spectral Bandwidth for 1030 nm Spectral Range: 5 nm to 25 nm
• Tuning Range: >20 nm; 1 nm to 30 nm
• Chirp: Linear Across Full Aperture
• High Operation Temperatures
• Continuous Tuning, No Mode-hops
• Wide-range SF Tuning
• Compact/Simple Cavity Design
• Thickness: Up to 50 mm
• Typical Thickness for 1030 nm Spectral Range: 20 mm to 45 mm
• Stretching Time (FWHM): Up to 0.5 ns
• Efficiency: 5% to 99%
• Typical Diffraction Efficiency for 1030 nm Spectral Range: >85%
• Apertures: Up to 20 x 20 mm²
• M2: <1.3
• Typical Stretching Time (FWHM) for 1030 nm Spectral Range: ~ 300 ps
• Typical Dispersion Rate for 1030 nm Spectral Range: ~ 6, 12, 25, 60 ps/nm (Linear)
• Typical Compressed Pulse Duration for 1030 nm Spectral Range: <200 fs

Applications: Stretcher and Compressor for Ultra-short Pulse and Chirped-pulse Amplification (CPA) Laser Systems; Industrial; Scientific; Tunable Output Coupler; Tunable Total Mirror; Tunable Filter; Spectral Beam Combination