High power and highly efficient Nd:YAG laser emitting at 1123 nm

Abstract

A diode-end-pumped continuous-wave (CW) Nd:YAG laser emitting at 1123 nm is realized efficiently in a 25-mm-long cavity. A composite Nd:YAG (cNd:YAG) crystal is selected as the gain medium. With an incident diode power of 26.1 W, an output power of up to 9.3 W is obtained, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 35.6%. The laser performances at 1123 nm are compared between composite Nd:YAG and common Nd:YAG crystals. The results show that composite Nd:YAG is a better choice for 1123-nm laser generations.