Operation of a diode-end-pumped double-clad planar waveguide Nd:YAG laser is reported. The waveguide structure consisted of 220 μm thick active Nd:YAG layer sandwiched between two 390 μm undoped YAG layers. The outer cladding was formed by two 200 μm sapphire layers. Dimensions of the whole structure are 12 × 6 × 1.4 mm³. With pumping by 2 W laser 808 nm diode, the laser operation was achieved at 1.06 μm with several resonator configurations: plan parallel resonator with external mirrors, self-imaging resonator, and resonator with mirrors coated on waveguide structure faces. In multimode operation the slope efficiency was 58%. The maximal output power of 640 mW was achieved. In single mode operation with self-imaging resonator the slope efficiency of 34% was achieved. With mirrors coated directly on waveguide structure faces the slope efficiency of 49% in single transversal mode was obtained.

Date Published: 18 November 2008
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 7138, Photonics, Devices, and Systems IV, 71381O (18 November 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.818046

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7138:
Photonics, Devices, and Systems IV
Pavel Tománek; Dagmar Senderáková; Miroslav Hrabovský, Editor(s)