High-efficient room-temperature CW operating Tm:YAP laser with microchip resonator

Jan Šulc; Helena Jelínková; Karel Nejezchleb; Václav Škoda

doi:10.1117/12.808158

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27 February 2009 High-efficient room-temperature CW operating Tm:YAP laser with microchip resonator

Jan Šulc, Helena Jelínková, Karel Nejezchleb, Václav Škoda

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Proceedings Volume 7193, Solid State Lasers XVIII: Technology and Devices; 71932H (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.808158
Event: SPIE LASE: Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering, 2009, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

A CW operating, high-power, high-efficient diode pumped 2μm laser was based on Tm:YAP (Tm³⁺ doped YAlO₃) active medium. To enhance the output beam quality, laser stability, and compactness, a microchip configuration was used. In this arrangement the resonator mirrors were deposited directly on to the laser crystal faces. Two groups of laser crystals were tested - with doping 3 or 4 at.% of Tm/Y. In each group, laser resonators without and with pumping radiation recuperation were investigated. The first one used 3mm long active medium and output coupler was transparent for pumping radiation. The second one used only 2mm long active medium but the pumping radiation, unabsorbed after first pass, was reflected back by the output coupler. For the generated laser radiation the output coupler reflectivity was 97 %. The diameter of all samples was 3mm and the a-cut (Pbnm) of Tm:YAP was used. For the laser pumping, a fibre coupled laser diode operating at wavelength 0.79 μm was used. The 400 μm fiber was delivering up to 25W of pump power to the coupling optics. All crystals were studied under the same pumping and cooling conditions and results were compared. The best results were obtained for 2mm long Tm:YAP crystal (3mm diameter, 4 at.% Tm³⁺). The output power 6.2W @ 1994nm in linearly polarized close to TEM₀₀ beam was obtained for incident pumping power 20.2W @ 793 nm. The differential efficiency in respect to the incident pump power reached 34% while the maximal attained optical-tooptical efficiency was ~ 31 %.

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Jan Šulc, Helena Jelínková, Karel Nejezchleb, and Václav Škoda "High-efficient room-temperature CW operating Tm:YAP laser with microchip resonator", Proc. SPIE 7193, Solid State Lasers XVIII: Technology and Devices, 71932H (27 February 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.808158

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