Laser operation of a Tm:Y2O3 planar waveguide.

We demonstrate the first Tm-doped yttria planar waveguide laser to our knowledge, grown by pulsed laser deposition. A maximum output power of 35 mW at 1.95 µm with 9% slope efficiency was achieved from a 12 µm-thick film grown on a Y(3)Al(5)O(12) substrate.