High power Yb:KGW and Yb:KYW thin disk laser operation

S. Erhard, Jing Gao, A. Giesen (Lead / Corresponding author), K. Contag, Alexander A. Lagatsky, Amin Abdolvand, Nikolay V. Kuleshov, Juerg Aus der Au, G. J. Spuhler, Frédéric Brunner, Rüdiger Paschotta, Ursula Keller

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

    42 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Yb/sup 3+/-doped potassium tungstates KY(WO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ (KYW) and KGd(WO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ (KGW) are for several reasons of great interest for diode-pumped solid state lasers. Compared with Yb:YAG, they have a smaller quantum defect of only /spl sim/4% and higher absorption and emission cross sections. Furthermore Yb:KGW and Yb:KYW have a broad emission bandwidth, comparable to that of Yb:glass, which allows for the generation and amplification of ultrashort pulses. With a mode-locked Yb:KGW rod laser, end-pumped by two high brightness diodes, a pulse duration of 176 fs at 1.1 W of average output power has already been demonstrated. For these reasons Yb:KYW and Yb:KGW are very promising candidates both for high power cw and for mode-locked operation in a thin disk laser setup, which has already demonstrated its ability to produce high cw output powers at high efficiencies up to the kW range and fundamental mode operation up to 97 W using Yb:YAG. Moreover, high power mode-locked operation of an Yb:YAG thin disk laser has been obtained with 16.2 W of average output power. In first experiments Yb:KGW and Yb:KYW thin disk lasers have been investigated at high cw output powers both in multimode and fundamental mode operation. Numerical calculations are presented as well as experimental results.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationTechnical Digest. Summaries of papers presented at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics. Postconference Technical Digest (IEEE Cat. No.01CH37170)
    PublisherIEEE
    Pages333-334
    Number of pages2
    ISBN (Print)9781557526621
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 7 Aug 2002

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