MULTIWATT DIODE-PUMPED YB-YAG THIN DISK LASER CONTINUOUSLY TUNABLE BETWEEN 1018 AND 1053 NM

A new powerful source of broadly (35-nm) tunable laser radiation in th e near-infrared (near 1030 nm) wavelength range is presented. Insertin g a birefringent filter into a 10-W diode-pumped Yb:YAG thin disk lase r resonator gives several watts of narrow-linewidth (0.07-nm) continuo usly tunable cw output power. By taking advantage of the power scalabi lity of the thin disk concept, even hundreds of watts of tunable power with near-diffraction-limited beam quality and high efficiency are fe asible. Generation and amplification of subpicosecond pulses with high average and peak powers are also promising applications of the Yb:YAG thin disk laser.