Thermal and optical properties of polymer hosts for solid-state dye lasers

• Published in: Applied optics (2004) Vol. 38; no. 12; p. 2504
• Main Authors: Wadsworth, W J, Giffin, S M, McKinnie, I T, Sharpe, J C, Woolhouse, A D, Haskell, T G, Smith, G J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 20.04.1999
• ISSN: 1559-128X
• DOI: 10.1364/AO.38.002504

We present measurements of thermal and optical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), PMMA modified by the addition of ethanol (MPMMA), and copolymers of methyl methacrylate with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate [P(HEMA:MMA)]. Spectral transmission of the polymers is excellent (alpha = 0.5 cm(-1) at 400 nm, decreasing to 0.04 cm(-1) at 633 nm). Measured laser damage thresholds of MPMMA and P(HEMA:MMA) show at least a twofold increase over PMMA. Thermal lensing measured in these hosts doped with Rhodamine 6G is shown to be similar (f = -450 mm for pump power of 200 mW in a 2-mm-diameter spot, scaling with pump intensity). Compared with MPMMA, P(HEMA:MMA) offers an improved surface quality and a more uniform dye distribution.