High-power diode-pumped continuous-wave Nd(3+) lasers at wavelengths near 1.44 microm.

We demonstrate longitudinally diode-pumped operation of Nd:YAG and Nd:YAP lasers at the long-wavelength end of the (4)F(3/2) ? (4)I(13/2) transition in the eye-safe spectral region at 1444 and 1430 nm, respectively. Special crystal coatings were required for achievement of lasing at these wavelengths. Output powers of up to 4.9 and 2.2 W, with slope efficiencies of up to 22% and 8%, respectively, were achieved. Polarized operation of the Nd:YAG laser yielded output powers of 76% as compared with unpolarized operation. Because of thermal stress, both YAG and YAP crystals were fractured at roughly 25 W of absorbed longitudinal pump power.

All-solid-state continuous-wave doubly resonant all-intracavity sum-frequency mixer.

A new resonator design for doubly resonant continuous-wave intracavity sum-frequency mixing is presented. We generated 212 mW of coherent radiation at 618 nm by mixing the radiation of a 1080-nm Nd(3+):YAlO(3) laser and a 1444-nm Nd(3+):YAG laser. Two different mixing resonator setups and several nonlinear-optical crystals were investigated. So far output is limited by unequal performance of the two fundamental lasers and coating problems of the nonlinear crystals.