Passively Q-switched neodymium slab lasers at 1.3-µm wavelength side-pumped by a 600-W laser diode stack

Jan Karol Jabczynski; Waldemar Zendzian; Jacek Kwiatkowski; Jan Šulc D.D.S.; Miroslav Nemec; Helena Jelínková

doi:10.1117/1.2388950

1 November 2006 Passively Q-switched neodymium slab lasers at 1.3-μm wavelength side-pumped by a 600-W laser diode stack

Jan Karol Jabczynski, Waldemar Zendzian, Jacek Kwiatkowski, Jan Šulc D.D.S., Miroslav Nemec, Helena Jelínková

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 45, Issue 11, 114204 (November 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2388950

Abstract

Triangular slabs made of Nd:YAG or Nd:YAP crystals were tested as active media for diode-pumped lasers. The resonator arrangements for the Q-switched regime were prepared for emission corresponding to the Nd³⁺ ion transition ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_13/2in each crystal (λ=1318 nm for Nd:YAG, and λ=1342 nm for Nd:YAP). Optical pumping was accomplished by a fast-axis collimated quasi-cw diode laser stack with peak power of 600 W delivering up to 150 mJ of pump energy. In free-running regime, the maximum reached energies were 24 and 27.5 mJ for Nd:YAG and Nd:YAP crystals, respectively. The corresponding slope efficiencies were 19.9% and 23.7% for Nd:YAG and Nd:YAP laser oscillators, respectively. The passive Q switching for 1.3-μm wavelength was accomplished by means of a saturable absorber made of V³⁺:YAG crystal, whose initial transmission was optimized for the shortest possible pulse length. The 6-ns-duration giant pulses were obtained with energies of 740 and 432 μJ for Nd:YAG and Nd:YAP, respectively. These results correspond to attained peak powers of 125 kW (Nd:YAG) and 77 kW (Nd:YAP) in the fundamental TEM₀₀ mode, which allows this laser to be used as an efficient source for further nonlinear conversion or other applications.

©(2006) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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Jan Karol Jabczynski, Waldemar Zendzian, Jacek Kwiatkowski, Jan Šulc D.D.S., Miroslav Nemec, and Helena Jelínková "Passively Q-switched neodymium slab lasers at 1.3-μm wavelength side-pumped by a 600-W laser diode stack," Optical Engineering 45(11), 114204 (1 November 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2388950

Published: 1 November 2006

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