Diode-pumped Nd:YAG thin disc laser

Summary form only given. The thin disc laser concept has the capability for efficient and scalable high power operation with high beam quality. Using Yb:YAG as active material 346 W in multimode CW operation and 97 W TEM/sub 00/ operation with an optical efficiency of 49% and 39%, respectively, were achieved. For Q-switch operation at repetition rates higher than 5 to 10 kHz pulse stability problems rise for Yb:YAG as active material. Nd:YVO/sub 4/ also suitable for application as a thin disc is an often used material for very high repetition rate Q-switch-lasers with relatively low pulse energy. In the paper we report about results for Nd:YAG as thin disc laser material in CW and Q-switch operation.