Highly efficient diode-stack, end-pumped Nd:YAG slab laser with symmetrized beam quality.
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.
Liao
Y
Y
Du
K
K
Falter
S
S
Zhang
J
J
Quade
M
M
Loosen
P
P
Poprawe
R
R