High efficient cryogenically-cooled Yb:YAG Active-Mirror laser using Total-Reflection geometry

Author

Furuse, H. ; Saiki, T. ; Fujita, M. ; Imasaki, K. ; Ishii, S. ; Takeshita, K. ; Miyanaga, N. ; Kawanaka, J.

Author_Institution

Inst. for Laser Technol., Suita, Japan

fYear

2009

fDate

14-19 June 2009

Firstpage

1

Lastpage

1

Abstract

we proposed a novel oscillator configuration called "TRAM" (Total-Reflection Active-Mirror) laser with a cryogenically cooled (under 100 K) Yb:YAG. We reported on TRAM laser experiments using a composite all-ceramics Yb:YAG, with no high-reflection coating and was directly cooled with liquid nitrogen. The obtained output power was 273 W with a slope efficiency of 72%, which to the best of our knowledge is the highest slope efficiency reported for high power laser systems from a 400 mum-thick Yb:YAG ceramic. For a laser diode spot size of 6 mm, the output power increased linearly over the whole diode pump power range. In this work, we investigated the limitation of the pump density for 180 mum, 400 mum, and 600 mum-thick Yb:YAG samples.

Keywords

geometry; laser cooling; laser mirrors; light reflection; optical pumping; solid lasers; thermo-optical effects; ytterbium; TRAM; YAG:Yb; cryogenically-cooled active-mirror laser; efficiency 72 percent; high-reflection coating; liquid nitrogen; power 273 W; pump density; size 180 mum; size 400 mum; size 600 mum; total-reflection geometry; Ceramics; Coatings; Diode lasers; Geometrical optics; Laser excitation; Nitrogen; Oscillators; Power generation; Power lasers; Pump lasers;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Lasers and Electro-Optics 2009 and the European Quantum Electronics Conference. CLEO Europe - EQEC 2009. European Conference on

Conference_Location

Munich

Print_ISBN

978-1-4244-4079-5

Electronic_ISBN

978-1-4244-4080-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/CLEOE-EQEC.2009.5192904

Filename

5192904