Numerical and experimental study diode-pumped Nd:YVO_4 laser with undoped end cap

摘要

The control of thermal lensing effect is of importance to scale the output power of diode-pumped solid-state lasers. It is particularly critical for end-pumped systems. In order to reduce the thermal lensing of diode-pumped Nd: YVO_4 lasers, we use a composite structured crystal with an undoped end cap of YVO_4 attached to the Nd: YVO_4 crystal. A numerical model is setup to simulate the temperature, stress, and end bulging of the composite crystal, as well as thermal lensing. The comparisons on thermal behaviors for composite and normal Nd:YVO_4 crystals are given in the paper. A diode-end-pumped Nd:YVO_4 laser with output power of 15.6W under the pump power of 29W and optical-to-optical efficiency of 54% is demonstrated by using the composite crystal.