Guiding effects in microchip lasers at pump powers well above threshold

Summary form only given. Microchip lasers are monolithic devices, typically consisting of a sub-millimetre thick slice of solid state gain material, which is polished to give plane parallel surfaces on to which dielectric mirrors are coated. These lasers are longitudinally pumped by a laser diode. Devices such as Nd:YVO/sub 4/ microchip lasers are highly-efficient and compact lasers which produce beams of high spatial and spectral quality.