Optical properties and laser performances of highly neodymium-doped YAG ceramics

Summary form only given. Diode-pumped microchip solid-state lasers have such advantages as compactness, high efficiency, high power, and low numbers of longitudinal and transverse modes. A wide variety of materials have been investigated to develop more efficient and higher power microchip lasers. Although Nd:YVO/sub 4/ is a suitable material for highly efficient microchip laser owing to its large absorption cross section, high-power operation is difficult because its thermo-mechanical properties are poor. On the other hand, while Nd:YAG has good thermal properties, highly efficient microchip laser has never been reported because high doping (>1 at.%) of neodymium into the YAG crystal is impossible, limiting pump absorption. We report measurements of the absorption spectra and the fluorescence lifetime of ceramic Nd:YAG in order to show that it is a promising material as a highly efficient and high power microchip laser. Moreover, we characterized its laser performance.