Diode-pumped Yb:Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>5</Subscript>-LiB<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> cyan laser at 501.7 nm

We describe the output performances of the 928 nm ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _9/2 transition in Nd:CLNGG under diode-laser pumping. An end-pumped Nd:CLNGG crystal yielded 1.3 W of continuous-wave output power for 17.8 W of absorbed pump power. The slope efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power was 11.2%. Furthermore, with 17.8 W of diode pump power and the frequency-doubling crystal LiB₃O₅ (LBO), a maximum output power of 260 mW in the blue spectral range at 464 nm has been achieved. The blue output power stability over 4 h is better than 3.2%.     

All-solid-state CW Nd:LuVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-LBO laser at 533 nm under direct 888 nm pumping

We report an efficient laser emission on the 1066 nm ⁴ F _3/2 to ⁴ I _11/2 transition in Nd:LuVO₄ under the pump with diode laser at 888 nm. Continuous wave (CW) 11.2 W output power at 1066 nm is obtained under 18.3 W of incident pump power; the slope efficiency with respect to the incident pump power was 71.9%. Moreover, intracavity frequency doubling with LiB₃O₅ (LBO) nonlinear crystal yielded 4.2 W of green light at 533 nm. An optical-to-optical efficiency with respect to the incident pump power was 23.0%.     

A Novel 1,066 nm Nd:Gd<Subscript>0<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>69</Subscript>Y<Subscript>0<Emphasis Type="Italic">.</Emphasis>3</Subscript>NbO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Passively <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis>-Switched Pulse-Burst Laser

We demonstrate for the first time a Cr⁴⁺:YAG passively Q-switched 1066 nm pulse-burst laser under 879 nm direct pump with a novel Nd:Gd_0.69Y_0.3NbO₄ crystal. The output laser characteristics with different pump repetition rates and different Cr⁴⁺:YAG initial transmission are studied. Without the Cr⁴⁺:YAG, we obtain a maximum output energy of 2.55 mJ at an absorbed pump energy of 5.79 mJ with the highest 48% slope efficiency. The pulse-burst laser contains a maximum of 7 pulses for a Cr⁴⁺:YAG initial transmission of 55% and a pump repetition rate of 1 kHz. The single-pulse energy and narrowest pulse width reach 160 μJ and 5.5 ns at 38.2 kHz, with a peak power of 32 kW.     

Simultaneous dual-wavelength operation at 1.06 and 1.34 μm in Nd-vanadate laser crystals

Output performances of Nd-vanadate lasers with simultaneous dual-wavelength emission on the 1.06-μm ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _11/2 transition and the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition at 1.34 μm are discussed. The design uses a linear resonator for emission at 1.06 μm and an L-type folded resonator for the 1.34-μm wavelength, and the ratio between the power of a single wavelength and the total power is adjusted by the choice of the output mirror transmissions. A continuous-wave (CW) Nd:GdVO₄ laser with total output power in the range of 3.9 to 6.8 W and the corresponding ratio of the output power at 1.06 μm to the total output power between 0.26 and 0.97 is realized. It is also shown that in comparison with the pump at 808 nm, the pump directly into the ⁴ F _3/2 emitting level at 879 nm improves the total output power. Furthermore, a Nd:GdVO₄ laser with simultaneous emission at 1.06 and 1.34 μm and that generates also green light at 0.53 μm by intracavity frequency-doubling with LiB₃O₅ (LBO) nonlinear crystal is demonstrated.     

High-Pulse-Energy Passively <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis>-Switched 1,123 nm Laser with a Nd:GdYAG Mixed Garnet as Laser Medium

We demonstrate a diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdYAG mixed garnet laser at 1,123 nm. A Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystal with an initial transmission of 97% is used as the saturable absorber. The maximum average output power is 1.05 W at an absorbed pumping power of 8.12 W. A single-pulse energy can reach up to 78.9 μJ, with a corresponding pulse repetition rate of 13.3 kHz.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-Nd:YLF blue laser at 488 nm by intracavity sum-frequency-mixing

We report a laser architecture to obtain continuous-wave blue radiation at 488 nm. A 808 nm diodepumped the Nd:YVO₄ crystal emitting at 914 nm. A part of the pump power was then absorbed by the Nd:YVO₄ crystal. The remaining was used to pump the Nd:YLF crystal emitting at 1047 nm. Intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 914 and 1047 nm was then realized in a LBO crystal to reach the blue radiation. We obtained a continuous-wave output power of 514 mW at 488 nm with a pump laser diode emitting 19.6 W at 808 nm.     

Upconversion CW laser at 284 nm in a Nd:YAG-pumped double-cladding thulium-doped ZBLAN fiber laser

A successful continuous-wave (CW) ultraviolet (UV) laser in a Tm⁺³-doped ZBLAN fiber, operated at 284 nm (¹ I ₆ → ³ H ₆ transition of Tm⁺³) is demonstrated. The excitation uses a four-step upconversion scheme. The pump source is a Nd:YAG laser operated at 1.064 μm. A laser output power of 42 μW continuous wave was obtained for 590 mW of the launched pump power. The slope efficiency with respect to the launched pump power was measured to be 9%. Ultraviolet (at 365 nm) and visible (at 453 and 480 nm) radiation was also observed.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Nd:YLF laser at 488 nm

We present a laser architecture to obtain continuous-wave blue radiation at 488 nm. A 808 nm diode-pumped the Nd:YVO₄ crystal emitting at 914 nm. A part of the pump power was then absorbed by the Nd:YVO₄ crystal. The remaining was used to pump the Nd:YLiF₄ (Nd:YLF) crystal emitting at 1047 nm. Intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 914 and 1047 nm was then realized in a BiB₃O₆ (BiBO) crystal to reach the blue radiation. We obtained a continuous-wave output power of 339 mW at 488 nm with a pump laser diode emitting 18.3 W at 808 nm.     

Diode-Pumped Yb:S-FAP Thin-Disk Laser Operating at 985 nm and the Second-Harmonic Generation at 492.5 nm

We report a diode-pumped continuous-wave (CW) thin-disk Yb³⁺-doped Sr₅(PO₄)₃F (Yb:S-FAP) laser operating at 985 nm. We achieve a power of 4.34 W at 980 nm in the CW operation regime with a fiber-coupled laser diode emitting 17.2 W at 914 nm. Furthermore, we demonstrate intracavity second-harmonic generation in the continuous-wave mode with a power of 893 mW at 492.5 nm using a BiB₃O₆ (BiBO) nonlinear crystal. The fluctuation of the blue output power was better than 3.57%. The M₂ factors are about 1.15 and 1.18 in the X and Y directions, respectively.     

Quasi-three level laser based on diode-pumped Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>:YAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystal

We describe the output performances of the 930 nm ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _9/2 transition in Nd³⁺:YAlO₃ (Nd:YAP) under in-band pumping with diode laser at the 803 nm wavelength. An end-pumped Nd:YAP crystal yielded 1.13 W of continuous-wave (CW) output power for 17.8 W of incident pump power. Moreover, intracavity second-harmonic generation has also been achieved with a power of 172 mW at 465 nm by using a LiB₃O₅ (LBO) nonlinear crystal. The blue beam quality factor M ² was less than 1.3. The blue power stability was less 3% in 60 min.     

High-efficiency direct-pumped Nd:YVO4-LBO laser operating at 671 nm

The continuous-wave high-efficiency laser emission from Nd:YVO₄ at the fundamental wavelength of 1342 nm and its 671 nm second harmonic obtained by intra-cavity frequency doubling in an LBO nonlinear crystal are investigated under pumping by diode laser at 880 nm (on the ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_13/2 transition). The end-pumped Nd:YVO₄ crystal yielded a continuous-wave output power of 9.6 W at 1342 nm for 18.9 W of absorbed pump power. The slope efficiency measured with respect to the absorbed pump power is 60%. An output of 5.5 W at 671 nm was obtained by frequency doubling, resulting in an optical-to-optical efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power of 29%. Comparative results obtained for the pump with a diode laser at 808 nm (on the ⁴F_5/2→⁴I_13/2 transition) are given in order to prove the advantages of the 880 nm wavelength pumping.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YVO4-Nd:CNGG crystals blue laser at 462 nm by intracavity sum-frequency-mixing

We report a laser architecture to obtain continuous-wave (cw) blue radiation at 462 nm. A 808 nm diode-pumped the Nd:YVO₄ crystal emitting at 914 nm. A part of the pump power was then absorbed by the Nd:YVO₄ crystal. The remaining was used to pump the Nd:CNGG crystal emitting at 935 nm. Intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 914 and 935 nm was then realized in a LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal to reach the blue radiation. We obtained a continuous-wave output power of 892 mW at 462 nm with a pump laser diode emitting 18.4 W at 808 nm.     

Diode-pumped Nd:LuVO4-Nd:YLiF4 crystals blue laser at 489 nm by intracavity sum-frequency-mixing

We present a laser architecture to obtain continuous-wave blue radiation at 489 nm. An 809 nm diode-pumped the Nd:LuVO₄ crystal emitting at 916 nm. A part of the pump power was then absorbed by the Nd:LuVO₄ crystal. The remaining was used to pump the Nd:YLiF₄ (Nd:YLF) crystal emitting at 1047 nm. Intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 916 and 1047 nm was then realized in a LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal to reach the blue radiation. We obtained a continuous-wave output power of 425 mW at 489 nm with a pump laser diode emitting 18.4 W at 809 nm.     

Dual-wavelength laser operation at 1064 and 914 nm in two Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> crystals

We present for the first time a dual-wavelength laser operation at 1064 and 914 nm in two NdYVO₄ crystals. A 879 nm laser diode is used to pump the first Nd:YVO₄ crystal emitting at 914 nm, and the second Nd:YVO₄ laser emitting at 1064 nm intracavity pumped at 914 nm. A total output power of 4.28 W at the two fundamental wavelengths was achieved at the absorbed pump power of 13.8 W. The M² values for 914 and 1064 nm lights at the maximum output power were found to be around 1.3 and 1.1, respectively.     

High-power continuous-wave doubly resonant all-intracavity sum-frequency mixing deep blue laser at 447 nm

In this paper, a high-power continuous-wave deep blue laser at 447 nm with intracavity tripling was achieved. The deep blue laser at 447 nm is obtained by using a doubly cavity, and type-II critical phase matching KTP crystal for intracavity sum-frequency mixing. Through designing of the cavity, the optimum matching of modes and gains for the two wavelengths was obtained. With incident pump power of 30 W for the Nd:YVO₄ crystal and 16 W for the other Nd:YVO₄ crystal, the deep blue laser output of 3.5 W at 447 nm with TEM₀₀ mode was obtained, the beam quality M² value was equal to 1.8 in both horizontal and vertical directions at the maximum output power, and the power stability is better than 3% at the maximum output power during half an hour. The experimental results show that the intracavity sum-frequency mixing by doubly resonant is an effective method for high-power blue laser.     

Diode-pumped continuous-wave Nd:YAP laser emitting at 1073 nm based on the 4F3/2-4I11/2 transition

We describe the output performances of the 1073 nm ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _11/2 transition (generally used for a 1064 nm transition) in Nd³⁺:YAlO₃ (Nd:YAP) under in-band pumping with diode laser at the 803 nm wavelength. An end-pumped Nd:YAP crystal yielded 390 mW of continuous-wave (CW) output power for 17.8 W of incident pump power. Moreover, intracavity second-harmonic generation has also been achieved with a power of 38 mW at 536 nm by using a LiB₃O₅ (LBO) nonlinear crystal. The green beam quality factor M ² was less than 1.33. The blue power stability was less 3.5% in 4 h.     

Efficient continuous-wave 908 nm Nd:YLF laser emission under direct 880 nm pumping

The quasi-three-level 908-nm continuous-wave laser emission under direct diode laser pumping at 880 nm into emitting level ⁴ F _3/2 of Nd:YLF have been demonstrated. An end-pumped Nd:YLF crystal yielded 4.7 W of output power for 11.8 W of absorbed pump power. The slope efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power was 43.3%. Comparative results obtained for the pump with diode laser at 808 nm, into the highly-absorbing ⁴ F _5/2 level, are given in order to prove the advantages of the 880-nm wavelength pumping.     

High-Power Diode-End-Pumped Slab Composite Tm:YLF Compact Laser

We design a continuous-wave Tm:YLF laser with a composite slab crystal end-pumped by two fiber-coupled laser diodes at room temperature. We achieve a maximum continuous wave output power of 105 W for the bonded slab Tm:YLF laser; the corresponding slope efficiency is 47.7% and the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is 42.0% with respect to the incident pump power. The laser operated at 1,907.5 nm with a beam quality factor of M² ～3.2 at the highest output power.     

All solid-state continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser at 1319 and 659.5 nm under direct 885 nm pumping

The continuous-wave high efficiency laser emission of Nd:YAG at the fundamental wavelength of 1319 nm and its 659.5-nm second harmonic obtained by intracavity frequency doubling with an LBO nonlinear crystal is investigated under pumping by diode laser at 885 nm (on the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition). An end-pumped Nd:YAG crystal yielded 9.1 W at 1319 nm of continuous-wave output power for 18.2 W of absorbed pump power. The slope efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power is 0.55. Furthermore, 5.2 W 659.5 nm red light is acquired by frequency doubling, resulting in an optical-to-optical efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power of 0.286. Comparative results obtained for the pump with diode laser at 808 nm (on the ⁴ F _5/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition) are given in order to prove the advantages of the 885 nm wavelength pumping.     

Doubly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis>-Switched Nd:YAG Ceramic Laser

Using simultaneously both an acousto-optic (AO) modulator and a Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber in the cavity, we demonstrate for the first time the performance of a diode-pumped doubly Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic laser. In contrast to purely acousto-optic Q-switched laser, this doubly Q-switched laser can generate shorter and more symmetric pulses. At an absorbed pump power of 10 W and a repetition rate of 20 kHz, the pulse width is compressed to 30 and 25 ns, respectively.