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Diode Pumped 2-μm Lasers Using Tm,Ho Codoped YLF, LuLF, LuAG and GdVO4 Crystals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Kazuhiro Asai
Affiliation:
Toho Institute of Technology, Sendai 982-0831, Japan
Atsushi Sato
Affiliation:
Toho Institute of Technology, Sendai 982-0831, Japan
Kohei Mizutani
Affiliation:
National Institutes of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo184-8795, Japan
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Abstract

Tm, Ho codoped YLF, LuLF,and LuAG and GdVO4 crystals are very attractive for diode pumped 2-μm lasers. A comparison study of laser performance was made using a diode-pumped, quasi-end-pump scheme at various pulse repetition frequencies and temperatures. At 5 Hz and at an operating temperature of 300 K, normal mode laser output energies of 15.7 mJ (YLF) with a slope efficiency of 7.3%, 26.8mJ (LuLF) with that of 12.6% and 20.0 mJ (LuAG) with that of 10.8% were achieved using 5%Tm and 0.5%Ho, respectively. A Tm,Ho:GdVO4 laser was also investigated. It was found, in the case of GdVO4, that optimum Tm and Ho dopant concentrations were slightly lower than those for garnet and fluoride crystals. Using a 3% Tm,0.3% Ho:GdVO4 crystal, an output energy of 31.2 mJ with a slope efficiency of 14.5% was obtained in normal mode operation at room temperature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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