Diode-Pumped Solid-State Lasers

This chapter gives an overview of the basic attributes of diode-pumped lasers and how they compare with lamp-pumped solid-state laser and diode lasers. It discusses in further depth two areas in which diode-pumped lasers have enabled new regimes of operation for solid-state lasers. The key driver in solid-state laser technology over the past few years has been the development of high-power, efficient, and reliable semiconductor diode lasers that can be used as optical pump sources. Solid-state lasers, meaning the class of solid dielectric gain media as opposed to semiconductor gain media, have traditionally been optically pumped by either pulsed or continuous-wave lamps. Diode-pumping has several advantages relative to lamp-pumped solid-state lasers, which include higher overall efficiency, higher pump density, lower thermal loading of the gain medium, and reduced amplitude and frequency fluctuations. Diode-pumped lasers have reduced amplitude and frequency fluctuations relative to lamp-pumped lasers because of the reduced heating in the gain medium and less technical noise.