Title :
The prospects for Yb- and Nd-doped tungstate microchip lasers
Author :
Savitski, Vasili G. ; Birch, R.B. ; Fraczek, E. ; Kemp, Andreas J. ; Loiko, P.A. ; Yumashev, K.V. ; Kuleshov, N.V. ; Pavlyuk, A.A.
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Photonics, Univ. of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Abstract :
Potassium gadolinium and yttrium tungstates doped with trivalent Nd, Yb or Tm ions are widely used crystals for efficient diode-pumped lasers. They are usually oriented along the b crystallographic axis, which is also the Np axis of optical indicatrix. The Np-cut is characterized by a strong thermal lens with opposing signs along Nm and Ng [1]. This is unsuited to microchip lasers which require a positive thermal lens for a stable cavity. Therefore, a detailed investigation of thermo-optic effects and microchip laser potential of other crystallographic orientations in tungstate crystals is of interest.
Keywords :
crystal orientation; gadolinium compounds; laser cavity resonators; laser stability; microchip lasers; neodymium; potassium compounds; thermal lensing; ytterbium; yttrium compounds; KGd(WO4)2:Nd; KY(WO4)2:Yb; Nd-doped tungstate microchip lasers; Yb-doped tungstate microchip lasers; b crystallographic axis; crystallographic orientation; diode-pumped lasers; optical indicatrix; potassium gadolinium tungstates; potassium yttrium tungstates; stable cavity; thermal lens; thermo-optic effects; Crystals; Laser excitation; Lenses; Microchip lasers; Power lasers; Pump lasers; Thermal lensing;
Conference_Titel :
Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe (CLEO EUROPE/IQEC), 2013 Conference on and International Quantum Electronics Conference
Conference_Location :
Munich
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4799-0593-5
DOI :
10.1109/CLEOE-IQEC.2013.6800602
