Highly efficient diode-stack, end-pumped Nd:YAG slab laser with symmetrized beam quality

摘要

An efficient high-power cw Nd:YAG slab laser, partially end pumped by diode-laser stacks, and a novel beam-shaping technique are reported. The optical efficiency amounted to 44%, and the slope efficiency amounted to 55%. Introducing an intracavity Brewster plate to polarize the laser beam, we obtained an optical efficiency of 35% and a slope efficiency of 41%. The output beam was rectangular and the beam quality asymmetric in two orthogonal directions. To equalize the beam quality, we introduced a step-mirror beam-shaping technique. The beam-shaping technique and the results obtained are discussed. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.