Ti:sapphire planar waveguide laser grown by pulsed laser deposition

We document the lasing performance of a waveguiding layer of Ti:sapphire, of ~12-mum thickness, grown by pulsed laser deposition from a 0.12-wt.% Ti(2)O(3) Ti:sapphire single-crystal target onto an undoped z-cut sapphire substrate. Lasing around 800 nm is observed when the waveguide layer is pumped by an argon-ion laser running on all-blue-green lines, with an absorbed power threshold of 0.56 W, with high-reflectivity (R>98%) mirrors. With a 5% pump duty cycle and a T=35% output coupler, a slope efficiency of 26% with respect to absorbed power is obtained, giving quasi-cw output powers in excess of 350 mW.