Continuous-wave, 15.2 W diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser operating at 946 nm

A high-power continuous-wave (cw) Nd:YAG laser operating at 946 nm by utilizing a quasi-three-level transition is reported. The laser consists of a composite Nd:YAG rod end pumped by a fiber-coupled diode laser and a simple plane-concave cavity. At an incident pump power of 40.2 W, a maximum cw output of 15.2 W at 946 nm is obtained, achieving a slope efficiency of 45%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output at 946 nm ever generated by diode-pumped Nd:YAG lasers. In addition, at an incident pump power of 15.2 W, a 1.25 W blue output at 473 nm is achieved with a simple compact three-element cavity and a type-I lithium triborate (LiB(3)O(5)) crystal as a frequency doubler.