Abstract

Diode-pumped Nd:YAG lasers operating at ~946 nm are potentially attractive sources since they can be frequency doubled to the blue.^1,2 However, efficient lasing on the 946-nm transition is considerably more difficult to achieve than it is on the more familiar 1.064-μm transition. This is partly due to the former transition's quasi-three-level nature,^3,4 which results in a significant reabsorption loss, is ~0.8%/mm for a 1% Nd-doped YAG rod at room temperature.

© 1995 Optical Society of America