Ridge waveguide lasers in Nd:YAG crystals produced by combining swift heavy ion irradiation and precise diamond blade dicing

Abstract

Ridge waveguides have been fabricated in Nd:YAG crystals by using ion irradiation and precise diamond blade dicing. Continuous-wave lasers at ~1064 nm have been realized in the ridge waveguides through optical pumping at 808 nm at room temperature. The ridge guiding structure shows superior lasing performance with respect to the planar counterpart with a slope efficiency of 43% and a maximum output power of 84 mW.