Resonantly pumped single-mode channel waveguide Er:YAG laser with nearly quantum defect limited efficiency.
We demonstrated the continuous-wave operation of a resonantly pumped Er:YAG single-mode channel waveguide laser with diffraction-limited output and nearly quantum defect limited efficiency. Using a longitudinally core-pumped, nearly square (61.2 μm×61.6 μm) Er3+:YAG waveguide embedded in an undoped YAG cladding, an output power of 9.1 W with a slope efficiency of 92.8% (versus absorbed pump power) has been obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this optical-to-optical efficiency is the highest ever demonstrated for a channel waveguide laser.
US Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland 20783, USA. nikolay.e.ter‑gabrielyan.civ@mail.mil
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Ter-Gabrielyan
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Fromzel
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Meissner
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Dubinskii