High-power TEM00 grazing-incidence Nd:YVO4 oscillators in single and multiple bounce configurations

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 245; no. 1-6; pp. 295 - 300
• Main Authors: Minassian, A., Thompson, B., Damzen, M.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 17.01.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Continuous operation; Diode-pumped lasers; Doped-insulator lasers and other solid state lasers; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Grazing-incidence lasers; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Lasers; Nd:YVO4 lasers; Optics; Physics; Solid-state lasers; Grazing-incidence lasers; Solid-state lasers; Nd:YVO4 lasers; 42.60.Pk; 42.55 Xi; Output power; Grazing incidence; Doped materials; Experimental device; Yttrium Vanadates; TEM mode; Experimental study; Optical set up; Total internal reflection; Solid state lasers; Neodymium additions; Optical amplifier; Diode pumping
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2004.09.072

We describe single and multiple grazing incidence bounce laser configurations and present results of scaling a diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 amplifier to higher powers than previously demonstrated using these schemes. In a Nd:YVO4 slab amplifier laser employing a single total internal reflection bounce configuration 50.3 W of multimode and 46.2 W of TEM00 output power is demonstrated. This is the highest power demonstration to our knowledge of the grazing incidence Nd:YVO4 laser geometry. We further describe the design of novel multiple bounce geometries, in which the laser mode can take more than one total internal reflection path through the amplifier, and show it can offer advantages especially in terms of spatial quality. A demonstration of a double bounce laser oscillator configuration shows high power 41 W of TEM00 output power with high conversion efficiency but superior spatial beam quality compared to the TEM00 single bounce laser oscillator.