High-average-power double-waveguide slab laser for material processing

Abstract

Novel principles of design of a diode-pumped solid-state laser with scalable average output power are described. The approach is based on a double waveguide slab (DWS) concept, when laser slab has a waveguide quality both for pump and laser radiation propagating in the orthogonal directions. The advantages of such a scheme are efficient conduction-cooling and scalability of a laser head to the kW range with the high quality of a laser beam (low value of M2). The feasibility of this concept was proved with the model of a DWS Nd:YAG laser at the level of average output power of 10 W. The promising possibility to use thermally strengthened Nd-glass for a high average power qcw laser is discussed.