Intracavity-pumped 2.09- microm Ho:YAG laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Solid-State Lasers
• Quantum Electronics

Background:

• Intracavity pumping offers a pathway to enhance laser efficiency.
• Thulium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Tm:YAG) lasers can be effectively pumped at 785 nm.
• Holmium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ho:YAG) lasers operate at eye-safe wavelengths, making them suitable for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficiency of an intracavity-pumped Ho:YAG laser using a Tm:YAG laser.
• To optimize the laser cavity design for efficient energy transfer between Tm:YAG and Ho:YAG crystals.
• To characterize the output performance of the 2.09-microm Ho:YAG laser.

Main Methods:

• A single laser cavity housing both Tm:YAG and Ho:YAG crystals was employed.
• The Tm:YAG crystal was optically pumped at 785 nm.
• The 2.01-microm Tm(3+) laser emission was used to pump the Ho:YAG crystal.
• The slope efficiency of the 2.09-microm Ho(3+) laser output was measured.

Main Results:

• The intracavity pumping scheme successfully generated 2.09-microm laser emission from the Ho:YAG crystal.
• A slope efficiency of 42% was achieved for the Ho:YAG laser output with respect to the absorbed pump power.
• Efficient energy transfer was observed between the Tm:YAG and Ho:YAG gain media within the shared cavity.

Conclusions:

• Intracavity pumping of Ho:YAG lasers using Tm:YAG lasers is a viable and efficient method.
• The demonstrated 42% slope efficiency highlights the potential of this laser architecture for high-performance applications.
• This approach offers a compact and effective solution for generating 2.09-microm laser radiation.