Solid-state Laser Development for the in Situ Spectroscopic Europa Explorer Instrument
The in Situ Spectroscopic Europa Explorer (iSEE) instrument is an ultra-compact laser-enabled Raman spectrometer instrument that meets the top-level science requirements for multiple future planetary in situ missions to explore the surface and atmospheric chemistry of planetary bodies across the Solar System. Enceladus, Europa, the Moon, Mars, and Venus are some of the primary targets for future NASA missions to search for extraterrestrial life and potentially habitable environments beyond Earth, further our understanding of the timing and formation of the Solar System and identify potentially viable economic resources such as water and/or valuable metal assets. We report on the advancement and space flight qualification of a compact, robust, solid-state laser operating at 515 nm that serves as the excitation source for the iSEE investigation. The iSEE instrument is being developed under a NASA Maturation of Instruments for Solar System Exploration (MatISSE) program. The iSEE laser is a diode pumped 1030 nm Yb:YAG microchip laser with a second harmonic generator to achieve an output wavelength of 515 nm and coupled to a multi-mode fiber for delivery to the Raman spectrometer probe. The fundamental 1030 nm laser operates at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 1-10 kHz with pulse energy of 95 μJ and ~800 ps pulse width. A 15 mm long Type II KTP crystal is used for second harmonic generation from 1030 nm to 515 nm. The residual fundamental 1030 nm is separated from the 515 nm beam using a pair of dichroic filters. A focusing lens couples the 515 nm beam to the optical fiber to produce an output laser pulse energy of 20 μJ. A custom vacuum fiber feedthrough assembly was designed with two 105 μm core fibers, and two 200 μm core fibers. One fiber is needed for coupling the laser to the iSEE instrument, and the additionally fibers provide redundancy and design flexibility. The laser enclosure is pressurized with >1 atm of clean dry air. The laser has been designed to minimize the size, weight, and power (SWaP) for a lander instrument with minimal resources. The laser will go through environmental testing including vibration and thermal vacuum testing for space flight qualification. Here we discuss the design, trade studies, performance, and environmental qualificationtesting of the iSEE laser.