End-pumped Nd:LaF/sub 3/ and Nd:LaMgAl/sub 11/O/sub 19/ lasers

Nd:LaF/sub 3/ and Nd:LaMgAl/sub 11/O/sub 19/ (LMA) are promising candidates for pulsed diode-laser-pumped lasers because they have relatively long upper state lifetimes and large absorption bandwidths compared to other Nd/sup 3+/ doped materials. Crystal growth of LMA and the spectroscopic properties of both materials are described. Continuous-wave (CW) end-pumped lasers have been demonstrated in these materials using a Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser to simulate the diode-laser pump source. Slope efficiencies of 47% for Nd:LaF/sub 3/ and 32% for Nd:LMA were obtained. The results for Nd:LaF/sub 3/ are typical for end-pumped, CW, Nd/sup 3+/ lasers; the lower slope efficiency for Nd:LMA is attributed to excited-state absorption.<
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