Laser operation and computation of thermal stress in endpumped 1.1 at.% Nd-doped yttrium aluminium garnet rods with sub-millimetre diameters

Abstract

Laser operation of a fibre-like 1.1 at.% Nd-doped yttrium aluminium garnet rod with a diameter of 0.34 mm and a length of 4.7 mm has been demonstrated. The fibre was end pumped with 0.5 W of continuous-wave radiation from a laser diode emitting at 808 nm. The measured laser thresholds are in a reasonable agreement with theoretical estimations. The distributions of temperature and stress in the crystal fibre were calculated with finite-element simulations showing that the fibre can be pumped up to a power of 40–50 W without fracture caused by thermal stress. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed laser rod design are discussed.