184W diode-side-pumped ceramic Nd:YAG laser with a diffusive optical pump cavity

摘要

Polycrystalline ceramic Nd:YAG laser material enables new possibilities in designing the laser medium with respect to dopant, size and geometry. In this paper, a 184W continuous-wave Nd~(3+)-doped ceramic Y_3Al_5O_(12)(Nd: YAG) laser with optical to optical efficiency of about 44.3% has been developed. Laser output power characteristics as well as the thermal lensing and birefringence properties of the ceramic laser rods were investigated. The sample used in this experiment was a 3.5mm diameter, 87mm long ceramic YAG rod with 0.6% Nd~(3+) concentration. And the end faces of the rod were flat and antireflection-coated at 1064 nm. The pumping geometry used in this work was a diffusive optical cavity with narrow slits for side-pumping.