Development of Nd:YAG ceramic lasers

TLDR

The study reports the development of end‑pumped Nd:YAG ceramic lasers. The authors fabricated highly transparent Nd:YAG ceramics by vacuum sintering nanocrystalline powder. The resulting lasers display optical and thermal properties indistinguishable from single‑crystal YAG, achieve slope efficiencies of 61 % and 58 % for 1 % and 2 % Nd doping, and a 1.46 kW device reaches a 42 % optical‑to‑optical efficiency.

Abstract

Highly transparent Nd:YAG ceramics were fabricated using vacuum sintering method where the raw powder was prepared by nanocrystalline technology. Optical properties were investigated and compared with those of YAG single crystals, almost identical results were obtained. The thermal conductivity of Nd:YAG ceramic was measured and the result was similar to that of Nd:YAG single crystal. End-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser were developed. Slope efficiencies of 61% and 58% were obtained for 1% and 2% Nd:YAG ceramic lasers. Just recently, high power 1.46 kW Nd:YAG ceramic laser was developed with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 42%.