RE3 +-Ion-Doped YAG Ceramic Lasers

Transparent polycrystalline ceramics for laser applications have been demonstrated to offer tremendous processing and design advantages relative to Czochralski-grown single crystals: fast production times, fabrication possibilities for materials with phase transitions during melt growth, and ability of engineered profiles and structures. Much progress has been made in improving the optical quality of ceramics as well as in exploring new laser materials. Successfully developed disordered Yb:Y₃ScAl₄O₁₂ ceramics realized ultrafast laser pulses as fast as 280 fs. The manufacturing flexibility of ceramic processing enables the production of composite structure before sintering. Up to 400-W continuous wave (CW) laser output power was obtained in an edge-pumped all-ceramics composite Yb:YAG microchip with a 200-mum-thick and 3.7-mm core diameter. Further possibilities of ceramic gain media are discussed.