62-W cw TEM00 Nd:YAG laser side-pumped by fiber-coupled diode lasers

Abstract

We describe the laser performance and thermal properties of side-pumped Nd:YAG rod lasers that use ibercoupled diode lasers as pump sources. Utilizing a nearly homogeneous pump light profile, we realize an output power of more than 60 W in TEM(00) mode operation with optical-to-optical efficiencies of more than 25%. In multimode operation, optical slope efficiencies of more than 46% are observed.

Compact corner-pumped Nd:YAG/YAG composite slab 1319 nm/1338 nm laser

“…However, their disadvantages are difficulties in enhancing the output powers and high costs. The reports on diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG lasers are also familiar recently [17][18][19]. The primary merits of the lasers are easiness to generate high output powers, and the demerits of them are low conversion efficiencies, high costs, and inferior beam qualities.…”

Power scalable TEM/sub 00/ CW Nd:YAG laser with thermal lens compensation

“…Side-pumping of a laser rod allows a greater amount of pump power to be deposited within the gain medium. Golla et al [6] have demonstrated a TEM output power of 62 W with an efficiency of 17%. The decrease in efficiency is due to poor extraction of the energy near the edges of the rod by the fundamental mode as well as thermally induced birefringence effects and lensing within the laser rod.…”

Highly efficient, dynamically stable Nd : YAG single-rod resonators with 60% TEM00extraction efficiency and high misalignment stability

“…Dual-rod resonators, using halfwave plates (HWPs) between two identical rods, have succeeded recently in demonstrating high-power polarized output (101 W) in fundamental mode with good extraction efficiency (40% [17])-in the case of unpolarized dual-rod resonators, the maximum extraction efficiency with respect to multimode operation is as much as 53% [18]. However, when analyzing single module Nd : YAG DPSSL resonators with polarized or unpolarized output in TEM 00 mode, output power has been limited to 53 W and 60 W, respectively [19,20] and extraction efficiency reported so far is of 50% [21].…”