An analytical model has been developed for the optimization of fiber-c
oupled laser-diode pumped lasers by including the effect of pump beam
quality into the analysis, Under the condition of minimum average pump
spot size inside the active medium, simple analytical expressions for
all of the key parameters of the optimum optical coupling system have
been derived, These analytical functions depend on the laser-diode be
am quality and properties of the active medium, With these expressions
, we have derived the formula for the optimum mode size and the maximu
m output efficiency. In addition, the dependence of the maximum output
efficiency on the pump beam quality has been studied, The present mod
el provides a straightforward procedure to design the laser resonator
and the optical coupling system for optimization, To illustrate the ut
ility of the present model, a Nd:YAG laser pumped by fiber-coupled las
er diodes is considered and optimized.