ABSTRACT
Passive Q switching of Er:glass (1.53 microm) with a new, robust, solid-state saturable absorber, Co(2+):Y(3)Sc(2)Ga(3)O(12), has been demonstrated. Q-switched pulses of 20 ns and 4 mJ of energy were obtained. An absorption cross section of 5 x 10(-20) cm(2) was measured. Preliminary results for a Co(2+):Y(3)Al(5)O(12) saturable absorber Q switch are also discussed.
ABSTRACT
Laser operation at 1.643 µm ((4)I(13/2)-(4)I(15/2)) in Er(3+):Y(3)Sc(2)Ga(3)O(12) (Er:YSGG) at 300 K is reported. An Er:glass laser (1.532 µm) was used in an end-pumping arrangement to obtain laser output from a 1-cm-long 0.7% Er(3% Yb, 1% Cr):YSGG crystal in an external cavity. The Er:YSGG laser exhibited an 18-mJ threshold and a 10% slope efficiency.
ABSTRACT
Ho:Tm:LuAG has been grown, examined spectroscopically, and lased at 2.1 microm. Ho:Tm:LuAG was selected for this experimental investigation when quantum-mechanical modeling predicted that it would be a good laser material for Ho laser operation on one of the (5)I(7) to (5)I(8) transitions. Lasing was achieved at 2.100 microm, one of the three wavelengths predicted to be most probable for laser action.
ABSTRACT
We report on the near-infrared absorption, emission, and lifetime data of Cr(4+):Lu(3)Al(5)O(12) (Cr:LAG) and compare the results with the known laser material Cr(4+)-doped Y(3)Al(5)O(12) (Cr:YAG). Lu(3)Al(5)O(12) has a smaller unit cell than Y(3)Al(5)O(12), and this feature is reflected in its spectroscopic properties. The low-temperature luminescence spectrum is shifted by 85 cm(-1) to higher energy compared with Cr:YAG. The luminescence lifetime of Cr:LAG at 10 K is 28.7 micros (Cr:YAG, 30.6 micros) and at 300 K is 4.3 micros (Cr:YAG, 3.5 micros). From these lifetimes we postulate that the quantum efficiency in Cr:LAG is higher than in Cr:YAG. We discuss the potential of Cr:LAG as a tunable near-infrared laser.