Diode-pumped infrared lasing and self frequency-doubling of ytterbium doped yttrium aluminum borate

Summary form only given. As a well-known self-frequency-doubling laser crystal, neodymium doped yttrium aluminum borate (Nd:YAB) has a high nonlinear optical coefficient, high damage threshold, good mechanical properties and good thermal conductivity. However, problems, such as visible reabsorption, poor crystal quality and relatively low quantum efficiency, reduce its practical applications. To address these problems, ytterbium doped yttrium aluminum borate crystals (Yb:YAB) were grown by the flux method and their optical and spectral properties were reported previously. Yb:YAB has no absorption in the visible wavelength range, and has high quantum efficiency, low quantum defect and good crystal optical quality. Furthermore, because YAl/sub 3/(BO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ and YbAl/sub 3/(BO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ have similar crystal lattice parameters and the same crystal structure (R/sub 32/), Yb:YAB crystal growth avoids the drawbacks of twin defects, crystal lattice mismatch typical of Nd:YAB crystals. We report for the first time the infrared laser performance and the self-frequency doubling of Yb:YAB pumped by a 1.6 W fiber-coupled 976 nm diode.