In-band fiber-laser-pumped Er:YVO₄ laser emitting around 1.6 μm

Efficient laser operation at wavelengths around 1.6 μm is demonstrated in Er (1.1 at. %):YVO₄. The crystal is in-band pumped at 1536 nm by a fiber laser, resulting in a maximum slope efficiency of 57.9% with respect to the absorbed pump power and 2.3 W of maximum output power. Wavelength tuning with a birefringent filter to wavelength bands suitable for CO₂ lidar applications at 1579 and 1603 nm could be obtained.