Q-switched laser Seeder
Product description
Q-switched seed laser for high-power laser systems
IDIL designs and develops Phiimo, a custom, patented phase-modulated injection seeder co-developed with the CEA, designed for Q-switch lasers delivering pulses with broad spectra and sufficiently smooth temporal profiles for laser-induced damage testing.
Phiimo is currently deployed on CEA’s ELAN and BLANCO testbeds (Laser Megajoule) to estimate the damage densities of thick optics in the GW/cm2 range, at different wavelengths.
PLM pulses
This phase-modulated injection seeding is made possible on ND:YAG-like laser architectures by finely tuning the modulation frequency to a multiple of the free spectral range of the laser oscillator. These pulses are called PLM, for Phase-modulated Longitudinal Mode (by analogy with SLM and MLM).
Performing laser-induced damage tests with PLM pulses is of high importance, as it allows reaching LMJ operating fluences without backward-stimulated Brillouin scattering (BSBS), while limiting catastrophic Kerr effect during testing.
PML pulses are particularly valuable when testing thick optics at a high fluence, or at a fluence higher than the actual use case —for instance when the available test area is limited.
Features
- 1064nm, precise wavelength adjustable on demand
- PER > 20dB
- Output power > 25mW
- Phase modulation: 1 to 2GHz
- Configurable locking of the seeder to the Q-switched laser cavity for stable operation
- Patented
Q-switched laser seeding for laser-induced damage measurements of thick optics

Specification
| Phiimo | |
| Wavelength at the output of the seeder (1ω) | 1064nm, others upon request |
| Output power | > 25mW |
| PER | > 20dB |
| Phase modulation | From 1 to 2GHz |
| Servo frequency | Up to 100Hz |
| Dimensions | Rack 2U, 19″ |
| Power supply | 230 VAC 50Hz |
| Control interface | Ethernet, Telnet protocol |
| Patented | Yes |
References
- Phase-modulated injection seeding for testing laser-induced damage of thick optics with Q-switch lasers, Charles Bouyer ; Roger Courchinoux ; Thierry Donval ; Nadja Roquin ; Laurent Lamaignère, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0257868