Abstract

A cw Nd:YAG mini-slab laser end pumped with the 805.25 nm output of a titanium sapphire laser was designed, characterized and optimized at 1064 nm output. The trapezoidal slab, designed for three internal reflections in end pumped configuration, was placed in a half symmetric resonator cavity. The mini-slab laser emitted 650 mW of TEMoo polarized light when pumped with 1.2 Watts of pump power. Performance with different output couplings was measured and a Findlay-Clay analysis was completed. Using a 90% output coupler a slope efficiency of 58% and overall optical efficiency of 55% was achieved. This may be the highest recorded efficiency for a Nd:YAG laser. The laser performance was modeled with a result in good agreement with experimental measurements.

© 1997 Optical Society of America