One-pulse driven plasma Pockels cell with DKDP crystal for repetition-rate application

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Pockels cells (PPCs) are crucial for optical switching, especially with large apertures and average power requirements.
• Repetition-rate applications present challenges like thermo-optical effects in electro-optical crystals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze key problems in Pockels cell (PPC) design for repetition-rate applications.
• To simulate and mitigate thermo-optical effects in electro-optical crystals under average power load.
• To develop a high-efficiency, large-aperture PPC for demanding applications.

Main Methods:

• Numerical modeling was employed to simulate thermo-optical effects in the electro-optical crystal.
• A reformative design was implemented, utilizing shared gas discharge voltage.
• A Deuterated Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate (DKDP) Pockels cell (PPC) driven by a single pulse was developed.

Main Results:

• The developed DKDP PPC meets the plasma electrode requirements for repetition-rate applications.
• Stable gas breakdown delay time and uniform plasma filling across the full aperture were achieved.
• The Pockels cell (PPC) demonstrated a switch efficiency exceeding 99% across the entire aperture.

Conclusions:

• The novel Pockels cell (PPC) design effectively overcomes thermo-optical challenges for repetition-rate operation.
• The demonstrated high efficiency and uniform plasma discharge validate the design for average-power optical switching.
• This advancement enables reliable, high-performance electro-optical switching in demanding scientific and industrial applications.