3.73  W all-solid-state dual-wavelength Nd:Lu₂O₃ crystal laser

Area of Science:

• Solid-state laser physics
• Materials science and engineering

Background:

• Neodymium-doped Lutetium Oxide (Nd:Lu2O3) crystals are promising gain media for solid-state lasers.
• Achieving stable, dual-wavelength output with high beam quality is a key challenge in laser development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the laser output characteristics of Nd:Lu2O3 crystals for dual-wavelength operation.
• To optimize parameters for efficient and high-quality laser output.
• To characterize the polarization state of the dual-wavelength laser output.

Main Methods:

• End-face pumping of 6 mm long Nd:Lu2O3 crystals using an 806 nm laser diode (LD).
• Optimization of laser cavity and operating conditions to achieve dual-wavelength oscillation.
• Suppression of higher-order modes to improve beam quality.
• Measurement of output power, slope efficiency, optical-to-optical conversion efficiency, power stability, beam quality factors, and polarization state.

Main Results:

• Dual-wavelength laser output at 1076 nm and 1080 nm was achieved with a maximum output power of 3.73 W.
• High slope efficiency (30.4%) and optical-to-optical conversion efficiency (28.5%) were obtained.
• Stable output power (0.41% fluctuation over 4 hours) and high beam quality (M² factors of 2.092 and 1.589) were demonstrated.
• Elliptical polarization was experimentally verified for both output wavelengths.

Conclusions:

• Nd:Lu2O3 crystals are effective gain media for developing efficient dual-wavelength all-solid-state lasers.
• The study successfully demonstrated high-power, high-beam-quality, and stable dual-wavelength laser output.
• The findings contribute to the advancement of tunable and versatile solid-state laser sources.