400W Yb:YAG Innoslab fs-Amplifier

TLDR

The Innoslab design, originally developed for Nd‑doped crystals, has been adapted to Yb:YAG, leveraging high‑power diode lasers for efficient pumping and positioning it against competing thin‑disk and fiber fs‑amplifiers. A compact diode‑pumped Yb:YAG Innoslab fs‑oscillator‑amplifier was realized, delivering 400 W average, 680 fs transform‑limited pulses at 76 MHz, with simulations confirming high efficiency and beam quality and indicating scalability to the kilowatt range.

Abstract

The Innoslab design, already established for neodymium doped laser crystals, was applied to ytterbium doped laser materials. Recent progresses in brightness of high power diode lasers facilitate efficient pumping of quasi-three-level laser materials. Innoslab amplifiers are compared to competing thin-disk and fiber fs-amplifiers. A compact diode-pumped Yb:YAG Innoslab fs-oscillator-amplifier system, scalable to the kilowatt range, was realized. Numerical simulations result in conditions for high efficiency and beam quality. Nearly transform and diffraction limited 680 fs pulses at 400 W average output power and 76 MHz repetition rate without using CPA technology have been achieved at room temperature so far.