Efficient lasers for remote sensing

Lasers for remote sensing based on Nd:YAG and OPO or Raman technology for wavelength conversion are developed at Carl Zeiss Optronics for a variety of military applications. For the laser altimeter instrument on the BepiColombo mission of ESA a laser diode pumped Nd:YAG laser will be used to enable accurate mapping of the Mercury surface from a 400 km to 1500 km orbit. The laser design addresses the requirements for low power consumption, high reliability and long operational life for this space mission. This is combined with a high beam quality, a pulse duration of less than 8 ns and a wide operating temperature range. We present details on the technological solutions applied to this laser and preliminary results on measured laser parameters. A life time test with temperature cycling performed on the laser diode stacks is presented. The technology of this laser is applied to a military dual wavelength laser transmitter for target designation and ranging. This laser uses Nd:YAG for the designation wavelength and OPO wavelength conversion for the eyesafe ranging wavelength. Technical data on this laser as well as performance measurements are presented.