Shuaiyi Zhang
Institute of Photonic Information Technology, School of Mathematics and Physics. QingDao University of Science & Technology, QingDao, China

Jianqiu Xu
Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China

Series: Lasers and Electro-Optics Research and Technology
BISAC: TEC019000

The actively Q-switched laser characteristics of Tm3+ doped laser crystal and ceramics were investigated. For the Tm:YLF crystal, 1 W pulsed laser operation was realized, with the repetition rate of 500 Hz and pulse width of 71.6 ns. For the Tm:LuLiF4 crystal, diode-end-pumped continuous-wave and acousto-optics Q-switched Tm:LiLuF4 slab lasers were demonstrated. We got the maximum continuous wave output power of 10.4-W with a slope efficiency of 40.4% and the maximum pulse energy of 8 mJ with pulse width of 315.2 ns at 1 KHz pulse repetition frequency.

We also investigated diode end-pumped continuous-wave and Q-switched Tm:YAG ceramic laser characteristics for high efficient 2-ƒÝm lasers. The remarkable characteristics of transparent ceramics that make them promising candidates for efficient laser operation in the 2-ƒÝm wavelength range were also analyzed. An output power of 17.2-W near 2016-nm was obtained, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 36.5%. A shortest pulse width of 69 ns was achieved under the PRF of 500-Hz, and the corresponding single pulse energy is 20.4 mJ. (Imprint: Nova)