Efficient and compact Yb:YAG ring laser

• Published in: IEEE journal of quantum electronics Vol. 42; no. 8; pp. 791 - 796
• Main Authors: Yi, J.-Y., Chen, L.-H., Huang, S.-L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.08.2006; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Absorption; Crystal defects; Crystals; Diode lasers; Doped-insulator lasers and other solid state lasers; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Gain; Holes; Laser excitation; Laser mode locking; Laser noise; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Laser resonator; Lasers; Linear polarization; multipass cell; Optical resonators; Optics; Optimization; Physics; Pump lasers; Resonators, cavities, amplifiers, arrays, and rings; ring laser; Ring lasers; Solid lasers; solid-state laser; Ultrafast optics; Laser resonator; Doped materials; Laser cavity resonators; Absorption coefficients; Ytterbium additions; Ring resonator; Solid state lasers; Ring lasers; Mode locked laser; multipass cell; ring laser; Linear polarization; solid- state laser
• ISSN: 0018-9197; 1558-1713
• DOI: 10.1109/JQE.2006.877222

An efficient and compact Yb:YAG ring laser was demonstrated with a slope efficiency of 39.0% with respect to the absorbed power. The design issues for using Yb:YAG as the gain medium in the reentrant multipass ring laser are discussed. The high absorption coefficient and low quantum defect of Yb:YAG make it an ideal gain medium for the multipass ring cavity to fulfil reentrant condition and reduce reabsorption loss. The absorption characteristics of a 20-at.% doped Yb:YAG crystal and the optimum ratio of absorption depth to Yb:YAG thickness were measured. The degrees of linear polarization were 99.0% and 94.1% in planar N=2 and nonplanar (N,M)=(2,1) ring lasers, respectively. The multipass ring cavities can be applied in a compact mode-locked laser with long round-trip length