CONFOCAL DIODE PUMPED LASER

摘要

A high efficiency, diode pumped laser includes a resonator mirror (40) and an output coupler (42) which define a nearly confocal resonator. Positioned in the resonator is a laser crystal (43). A diode pump source (44) supplies a pump beam to the laser crystal and produces an output beam. A strong thermal lens transforms a non-confocal resonator to a nearly confocal resonator. The TEM00 mode diameter in the laser crystal may be smaller than the pump beam diameter that is incident on the laser crystal. Output powers greater than about 4 W are achieved, the overall optical efficiency is greater than about 25 %, and an optical slope efficiency in a TEM00 mode of greater than 40 % is possible.