Ti:Sapphire
crystal is the most widely used tunable solid-state laser material combining
the supreme physical and optical properties with the extremely broad lasing
range. Its lasing bandwidth can support
pulses < 10fs making it the crystal of choice for femtosecond mode-locked oscillators and amplifiers. The absorption band of Ti:Sapphire centers at ~ 490 nm so it may be conveniently pumped by various laser sources such as argon ion lasers or frequency doubled Nd:YAG, Nd:YLF, Nd:YVO4 lasers at ~530nm.
Laser designers
are using Ti:sapphire to generate femtosecond pulses to create new industrial
tools. A properly delivered femtosecond laser pulse interacts within the target
leaving the surrounding area undisturbed. Newly developed femtosecond pulsed
lasers micro-machine complex fine structures in glass, metal and other
materials. Active waveguides can be written below the surface, integrating
optical devices within the body of a substrate. Defects in photomasks can be
repaired without disturbing neighbouring patterns. And it is now possible to
achieve cellular resolution in vivo for medical diagnosis with femtosecond
pulse lasers.
