2.7 μm laser properties research of Er:Y2O3 crystal

Abstract

As a promising laser gain medium at 2.7 μm region, 7 at.% Er:Y2O3 single crystal has been successfully grown, but its laser properties have not yet been reported. Using Er:Y2O3 crystals as laser gain medium means that the problem of optical diffraction loss in Er:Y2O3 ceramics was avoided and higher quality laser can be obtained. On this basis, the continuous wave and passively Q-switched laser properties of this crystal have been demonstrated for the first time in this work. In continuous-wave operation, the maximum output power of 220 mW was obtained at 2725 nm. In the passively Q-switched operation, a 2724 nm laser was achieved with a shortest pulse duration of 393 ns. This is the first laser demonstration of the 7 at.% Er:Y2O3 cubic crystal, and also is a vital step towards obtaining a higher quality mid-infrared laser. These laser characteristics also indicate great potential of Er:Y2O3 crystal for the generation of mid-infrared lasers.