EFFICIENT CONTINUOUS-WAVE CHROMIUM-DOPED YAG LASER

Continuous-wave power performance of a chromium-doped YAG laser pumped by a Nd:YAG laser is investigated as a function of crystal temperatur e, output coupling transmission, and emission wavelength. Using a 2%-t ransmitting output coupler, we obtained as much as 1.9 W of cw output power at 1.45 mu m with an absorbed power slope efficiency of 42% when the gain medium was cooled at 3 degrees C. Using the laser efficiency data, we estimated the emission and excited-state absorption cross se ctions at 1.45 mu m and compared them with the previously reported val ues.