Diode-side-pumped 1123 nm Nd:YAG ceramic laser

Transparent Nd:YAG ceramics were fabricated by solid-state reactive sintering, a mixture of commercial Al2O3, Y2O3, and Nd2O3 powders, and their microstructure and optical properties were investigated. A fully dense 1.0 at. % Nd:YAG ceramic with an average grain size of ∼15 μm was obtained by vacuum sintering at 1750 °C for 50 h. The optical in-line transmittance of the corresponding sample was very close to that of single crystal. Diode-side-pumped laser operation with two ceramic rods (Ø6×100 mm2) was demonstrated. When the pump power was 2000 W, the output power of 509 W at 1123 nm for Nd:YAG ceramic laser was obtained, and the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was 25.5%. 509 W is the highest laser output power for an Nd:YAG laser (including ceramic and single crystal) operating at 1123 nm to date.