technology > courses > PHTN1500

Course Info | Class Notes | Evaluation / Check Marks | Labs | Class Schedule & Homework |

Course Description

PHTN1400 Principles of Laser Systems

This course is offered as part of the Photonics Engineering Technology (3 year) Program at Niagara College.

Evaluation ...

• Two midterm examinations, totalling 60%, as follows ...
Midterm #1 during week 7 (on Wednesday 2011/10/19) in class
One Hour, in class, worth 20%.
Final term test during week 13 (on Thursday 2011/12/01) in class
Two hours, in class, worth 40%.

Labs and assignments valued at 40% total

As per departmental policy, lab and theory portions of the course must be passed separately in order to pass this course. Refer to the T&LP and CIS for details.

Check your marks and registration status here (When loaded early in September)

NOTE: COURSE POLICIES HAVE CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR ....

Course policies have been realigned to match the Standardized Policies and Procedures for CEE (dated January 2011). In summary, the changes for 2011 are:

• LATE assignments and labs are now worth ZERO. There is no longer a "grace period" with a "per day" penalty. Late submissions (i.e. ANY not printed and ready when you enter the lab) receive a mark of zero. You will be DENIED access to the printer at the start of the lab - either the lab is ready to submit, or it is late and hence worth zero.
• Students are allowed only ONE single-day late submission without penalty. This is a once only one-day extension ... once used, any further late submission will receive an automatic zero.
(This policy reflects expectations in the real world: to be late for work, once, will likely not result in termination however chronic late arrivals will almost certainly result in job loss. Develop good work ethic _now_.)
• Students must pass the theory (testing) and practical (lab/assignment) portions of the course separately in order to receive a passing grade. If a failing grade is received in either portion, then the lower of the two marks (theory or practical) will become the final grade.
• In order to be considered for supplementary evaluation (SE) upon failure in this course, a mark of 50% minimum will be required in the practical (lab/assignment) portion of the course plus a mark of 45% minimum in the theory (testing) portion. A theory mark of 44% or less, or a lab mark of 49% or less, will result in failure with no SE option.

Complete course policies can be found in the Teaching and Learning Plan (T&LP) document found on Blackboard.

Textbook

Fundamentals of Light Sources and Lasers by Csele, 2004, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-47660-9

Specific Elements Of This Course

This course covers the development of mathematical models on the following topics as well as a substantial laboratory component through which models are proven:
• The development of radiation in an operating laser (how radiation develops during each pass through the amplifying medium)
• Prediction of the required pump power for a given laser
• Prediction of the output power of a solid-state laser
• The time-domain behaviour of a pulsed laser (and how inversion builds)

The course outline (available online) contains a detailed description of each element of the course as well as learning objectives.

Course Notes and References

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for lasers in Niagara College's high powered laser labs.

Week 1:

• Laser Gain (Password Protected PDF)
Week 2:

• Cross Sections and Gain (Password Protected PDF)
• Transition Probabilities of Neon-I (Password Protected PDF)
Week 3:

• Simulating Laser Power in-class notes on power buildup in the HeNe laser from class. Password protected PDF.
Week 4:

• Predicting Pump Threshold in-class notes expanding on Csele 5.10 and an excellent pre-lab. Password protected PDF.


• Modeling Solid-State Lasers a tutorial for the Time Domain Modelling lab. Password protected PDF.
• Time Domain Behaviour covering spiking behaviour and inversions during a Q-switched pulse. Password protected PDF.
• Solid-State Lasers: A Graduate Text by Koechner and Bass. Section 3.5 covers spiking behavious in solid-state lasers.


• Practice Questions - Test #2 Selected questions as presented in-class. Password protected PDF.
• Formula Sheet as supplied with the test

Class Schedule (completed/planned)

Week 1 2011/09/09:
  Course introduction, policies, labs, evaluation, and overview
  Gain and Loss concepts (primarily review)
Week 2 2011/09/12:
  Modelling a YAG laser
  LAB #1: Modeling a YAG laser
Week 3 2011/09/19:
  Cross Section / Gain Saturation
  Saturation Intensity
  LAB #1 DUE on Thursday!
Week 4 2011/09/26:
  Calculating Minimum Pump power
  Return Lab #1 (will be taken-up next week)
  LAB #2: Modeling a Semiconductor Laser
Week 5 2011/10/03:
  Review Lab #1
  LAB #2: DUE on Thursday!
Week 6 2011/10/10:
  Return and Review Lab #2
  REVIEW for MIDTERM next week
Week 7 2011/10/17:
  MIDTERM on Wednesday (one hour, in class)
  Return and review midterm
  Transient models: population inversion buildup
Week 8 2011/10/24:
  More on spreadsheet models
  LAB #3: Time-domain Model of a Q-Switched YAG laser
Week 9 2011/10/31:
  Cavity loss characterization (photon lifetime)
  Power output model 
  Double-pulse ruby model
  Experiment #4 design
Week 10 2011/11/07:
  LAB #4: Double-pulse lasers
Week 11 2011/11/14:
  LAB #4 is due
  Practice questions (all concepts, year review)
Week 12 2011/11/21:
  Return lab #4 and review
  Practice questions
  Term test review


Week 13 2011/11/28:
  Last-minute preparation for second term test (Wednesday)
  TERM TEST Thursday December 1 (two hours, in class)
Week 14 2011/12/05:
  Term Test returned and reviewed
 

Laboratory Assignments

Students in this course will complete three of four two-hour laboratory assignments with a varied schedule in small groups.

WARNING: Departmental policies state that late labs are worth ZERO ... there is no longer a "-10% per day" penalty!

Lab 1: Lasing threshold of a Solid-State Laser
The threshold of pump power for a long-pulse YAG laser is determined. Several relationships in the text are proven and a simple mathematical model is developed to include inserted intra-cavity losses.
Lab on Week 2 (Thursday 2011/09/15)
Lab Report due at the beginning of the class on Week 3 (Thursday 2011/09/22)





Lab 2: Lasing threshold of a Semiconductor Laser
In the lab, several key physical parameters of a commercial-grade semiconductor diode laser are determined and from these models are developed to predict (i) the threshold current of the device (following question 5.9 on page 158 of Csele) and (ii) the development of optical power in the device as a function of time.
Lab on Week 4 Thursday 2011/09/29
Lab Report due at the beginning of the class on Week 5 (Thursday 2011/10/06)





Lab #3: Time Domain Modelling of a Solid-State Laser System
By monitoring the flashlamp intensity of a solid-state YAG laser, a model is developed to predict the inversion, and hence the gain, as it develops in time taking into account both pumped population as well as spontaneous decay. Results of the model are compared to actual experimental results. In this manner, the optimal time to open the Q-switch may be predicted.
Lab on week 8 2011/10/27
Lab Report due at the beginning of the class on Week 9





Lab #4: Double-Pulse Q-Switched lasers
An Apollo 22HD double-pulsed ruby laser employing an EO Pockels cell Q-switch will be used to investigate energy storage in a solid-state laser medium. The first pulse will be set to zero and the second pulse to optimally deplete the energy in the rod. The first pulse will then be varied until pulse energy is matched between the two and finally the second pulse is extinct. Calculations will then be performed determining the energy storage parameters of the rod. This experiment will be performed in V13A (advanced optics lab) where the laser is housed.
Lab Part A and B on week 10 2011/11/10
Lab Report due at the beginning of the class on Week 11 (2011/11/17)





The lab schedule is subject to change based on availability of laboratory equipment

Contacts:

For this course ...
Professor Mark Csele
Office: V-13 (Office hours are POSTED on the EL panel on the door)
Telephone: (905) 735-2211 x.7629
E-Mail: (Be sure to include 'Lasers' in the subject line to avoid deletion by an anti-spam filter)
URL: http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/people/mcsele

Copyright (C) Mark Csele and Niagara College, Canada, 2009-2011
Some images and text are published in Fundamentals of Light Sources and Lasers by Csele, Wiley (2004), ISBN 0-471-47660-9 and hence are Copyright (C) John Wiley and Sons. Further reproduction in any form is prohibited without written approval from the publisher.

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