Near fundamental mode 1.1 kW Yb:YAG thin-disk laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• High-power lasers are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
• Thin-disk laser technology offers advantages in thermal management and scalability.
• Achieving high output power with excellent beam quality in thin-disk lasers remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a Yb:YAG thin-disk laser system capable of exceeding 1 kW output power.
• To achieve near-fundamental mode operation (M²<1.4) with high efficiency.
• To develop a robust and stable laser resonator design for thin-disk lasers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Yb:YAG thin-disk gain medium.
• Employed a simple, stable resonator design with a single cavity mirror and thin disk.
• Focused on cavity design for good beam quality and misalignment tolerance.
• Operated the laser without aspherical elements or adaptive optics.

Main Results:

• Achieved an output power of 1.1 kW.
• Obtained a beam quality factor M²<1.4, indicating near-fundamental mode operation.
• Reached an optical-to-optical efficiency of 40%.
• Demonstrated stable and robust laser operation despite changes in thin-disk curvature.

Conclusions:

• This work represents the first reported output power exceeding 1 kW from a single Yb:YAG thin-disk laser in near-fundamental mode operation.
• The simplified resonator design offers a robust and efficient approach to high-power thin-disk laser development.
• The achieved performance highlights the potential of thin-disk lasers for demanding applications requiring high power and excellent beam quality.