End-pumped Yb-doped fluorapatite laser

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 5; no. 11; pp. 1285 - 1288
• Main Authors: Scheps, R., Myers, J.F., Payne, S.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01-11-1993; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: 426002 - Engineering- Lasers & Masers- (1990-); Absorption; Doped-insulator lasers and other solid state lasers; ENGINEERING; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Laser beams; Laser excitation; LASER MATERIALS; LASERS; MATERIALS; Mirrors; OPERATION; OPTICAL PUMPING; Optics; PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS; Photonics; Physics; Power lasers; Pump lasers; PUMPING; Sea measurements; SOLID STATE LASERS; Switches; Wavelength measurement; Inorganic compounds; Ytterbium additions; Solid state lasers; Doped materials; Infrared radiation; Experimental study; End pumping; Calcium fluorides; Q switched laser; Calcium phosphates
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/68.250045

An ytterbium:fluorapatite (Yb:FAP) laser crystal was longitudinally pumped using a Ti:sapphire laser emitting at 905 nm. The highest slope efficiency obtained was 60.5%, and the maximum output power was 214 mW with a pump power of 438 mW. Repetitive Q-switching was demonstrated for the first time. The Q-switched average power was identical to the continuous-wave (CW) power at repetition rates exceeding 20 kHz, as is consistent with the 1.08-ns emission lifetime.< >