High power, diode side pumped Er:YAG lasers

A high-power diode-pumped monolithic Er:YAG laser platform is presented. The side pumping by qcw laser diodes allows for power scalability, as demonstrated by the scaling of the basic laser system design from a 2 W to a 15 W average power configuration. A key point in the operation of a monolithic laser without any adjustment possibility is to operate the laser always around the ideal adjustment even with different heat loads, respectively, thermal lenses. This is achieved by symmetrically cooling the laser crystal, which leads to a thermal lens symmetrical and collinear with the laser axis of the crystal resulting in stable operation over a wide range of parameters.