Composite Ceramic Nd3+:YAG/Cr4+:YAG Laser Elements

• Published in: Journal of Russian laser research Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 237 - 242
• Main Authors: Balashov, V. V., Bezotosnyi, V. V., Cheshev, E. A., Gordeev, V. P., Kanaev, A. Yu, Kopylov, Yu. L., Koromyslov, A. L., Lopukhin, K. V., Polevov, K. A., Tupitsyn, I. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-05-2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Absorbers; Ceramic powders; Ceramics; Ceramics industry; Cold isostatic pressing; Cold pressing; Composite materials; Crystal structure; Crystallinity; Heat treating; Lasers; Longitude; Microwaves; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; RF and Optical Engineering; Stacking; Tablets; YAG lasers; diode end pump; composite ceramics laser elements; switch
• ISSN: 1071-2836; 1573-8760
• DOI: 10.1007/s10946-019-09795-3

We produce composite ceramic laser elements Nd
3+
:YAG/Cr
4+
:YAG using two different methods, i.e., (
1
) layer-by-layer uniaxial pressing in a metallic mold with sequential addition of appropriate portions of the powder; (
2
) stacking and pressing of previously uniaxially pressed tablets in a cold isostatic press. In lasers where composite ceramic Nd
3+
:YAG/Cr
4+
:YAG elements are used together with longitudinal diode pumping, we obtain the lasing regime for both types of active elements at a wavelength of 1,064 nm in the
Q
-switch mode. Lasers with ceramic composites produced by stacking and cold isostatic pressing of the previously pressed tablets demonstrate a slope efficiency (~30–33%) even higher than lasers with crystalline saturable absorber (~21%). Lasers based on ceramic composites manufactured by layer-by-layer pressing of powders have an efficiency of ~11–19%. Composites made by stacking and cold isostatic pressing of the previously pressed tablets demonstrate a generation threshold close to those in lasers with crystalline saturable absorbers.