Production and characterization of YAG and Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser ceramics

High power Nd:YAG ceramic laser was developed with high optical conversion efficiency. With maximum laser diode pump power of 290 W, output power of 110 W was obtained with a slope efficiency of 41%. In order to compare with Nd:YAG single crystal laser, the input-output relationship was also measured. Highly transparent neodymium and ytterbium doped Y2O3 ceramics were also developed recently. Laser oscillations were obtained from Nd:Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and Yb:Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ ceramics. These material have favorable properties, such as refractory nature, stability, ruggedness, and optical clarity over a broad spectral region, and especially higher thermal conductivities than YAG.