High-performance fiber lasers for LIDARs

Three kinds of high-performance fiber lasers were systematically investigated including the single frequency continuous wave (CW) fiber lasers with narrow linewidth and low relative intensity noise (RIN), the high energy long-nanosecond-pulsed single frequency fiber lasers and the high peak power short-nanosecond-pulsed fiber lasers. The single frequency CW fiber lasers operating in 1 m, 1.5 m and 2 m regions were developed. The typical spectral linewidth was less than 3 kHz and the RIN approached the short noise limit. One high energy nanosecond pulsed single frequency fiber laser in 1.5 m region was developed. It can produce 200 J single frequency laser pulses with 100-500 ns pulse width at 20 kHz repetition rate. A fiber laser producing pulses with 700 kW peak power, 3 ns pulse width at 10 kHz was developed. High repetition rate (up to 3 MHz) nanosecond fiber lasers was also developed, which can provide 1-5 ns laser pulses with 200 W peak power. The applications of these lasers in laser LIDARs are addressed in this paper.