Thermal management of rep-rate electro-optical switch with thin film electrode

Transparent Conductive Films(TCFs) electrode electro-optic pockels cell is an ideal switch device for high repetition rate laser system. High repetition leads to heat accumulation on the electro-optic crystal, which cause thermal-optical effect, elasto-optical effect and bulk displacement, then results in the generation of wavefront distortion. Aimed at 1 kJ output energy and 16 Hz repetition frequency laser system, the TCFs electrode pockels cell was designed using liquid cooling technology. Thermal analysis models of pockels cell were established using the finite element analysis. The influence of crystal thickness and convective heat transfer coefficient on wavefront distortion were researched, and the optimal value of crystal thickness was got. Considering the distribution of liquid flow, the thermal designed data were analyzed. Besides, the temperature, bulk dispalcement and sress distribution were simulated to get the related wavefront distortion and optimal structure value. The researched results can be used to guide the design of the repetitive frequency electro-optic switch.