Abstract

Solid-state laser systems based on microchip geometry are promising radiation sources for many applications both in industry and medicine because of their compactness, high efficiency, good beam quality, etc. An attractive laser host for Pr³⁺ ions is the yttrium aluminum oxide YAlO₃ (YAP) because of its good thermal and mechanical properties combined with nature birefringent character, so, the thermally-induced birefringence should not degrade the laser performance. Moreover, among the oxygen containing laser compounds, the YAP crystal offers the greatest number of stimulated emission intermanifold transitions, and, simultaneously, belongs to oxide crystals with relatively small phonon energy [1]. In comparison with widely examined Pr:YLF crystal as a Pr-fluoride representative, Pr:YAP active medium exhibits positive value of the temperature coefficient dn / dT [1] enabling to design a microchip laser system.

© 2011 Optical Society of America