BaO–TeO2–MoO3 glass: excellent candidate for acousto-optic modulators with high diffraction efficiency, fast response, and stable operation

Abstract

Acousto-optic modulators (AOMs) have been extensively utilized in laser technology, network communications, and radar spectrum analysis. In this paper, a BaO–TeO₂–MoO₃ (BTM) glass was studied as an acousto-optic material due to its large refractive index ranging from 2.18 to 2.07 as the wavelength changes from 546 nm to 2325 nm. The BTM glass not only exhibits a suitable sound velocity of 3537 m s⁻¹, but also has a small acoustic attenuation of 0.33 dB cm⁻¹, which is beneficial for high quality AOMs. Therefore, a BTM glass Q-switch operating at 1064 nm was successfully designed and fabricated. The diffraction efficiency, diffraction angle, rise time, and fall time were determined to be 85.6%, 1.6°, 38 ns, and 41 ns, respectively, which are comparable to those of a TeO₂ crystal AOM. A 1064 nm pulsed laser with a narrowest pulse width of 27 ns at a repetition rate of 5 kHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of 86.9 μJ and a peak power of 2.9 kW, was realized. The results suggest that the BTM glass is a promising candidate for high-quality AOMs.