Efficient, scalable, internally folded Nd:YAG laser end-pumped by laser diodes

Author

Scheps, Richard ; Myers, Joseph F.

Author_Institution

US Naval Command, Control & Ocean Surveillance Center, San Diego, CA, USA

Volume

29

Issue

6

fYear

1993

fDate

6/1/1993 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1515

Lastpage

1519

Abstract

A scalable diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser is described in which the gain element resembles a penta-prism. This design allows longitudinal pumping along five separate axes. Using five high-power single stripe laser diodes, 4.16 W of absorbed power produced 2.3 W CW at 1.06 μm. The slope efficiency was 56%, the output was plane polarized, and the laser operated in the TEM₀₀ mode. The threshold power, was 48 mW. No evidence of thermal saturation was observed up to the maximum pump power. With an intracavity KTP crystal, 431 mW of CW amplitude-stable output at 532 nm was generated. Repetitive Q-switched operation is also reported

Keywords

Q-switching; laser cavity resonators; laser modes; neodymium; optical pumping; solid lasers; 1.06 micron; 2.3 W; 341 mW; 4.16 W; 48 mW; 532 nm; 56 percent; CW amplitude-stable output; CW lasing; IR; KTP; KTiOPO4; Nd:YAG laser; Q-switched operation; TEM₀₀ mode; YAG:Nd; YAl5O12:Nd; absorbed power; end-pumped; gain element; high-power single stripe laser diodes; internally folded; intracavity KTP crystal; longitudinal pumping; maximum pump power; optical prisms; penta-prism; plane polarized; slope efficiency; threshold power; Diode lasers; Laser excitation; Laser modes; Mirrors; Neodymium; Optical reflection; Optical resonators; Power generation; Power lasers; Pump lasers;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/3.234402

Filename

234402