High Power Rod, Slab, and Tube Lasers

Abstract

This lecture is about high power solid state lasers for materials processing. The fundamental problems of power scaling are discussed. Three approaches to overcome these problems are the multi-rod laser, the slab laser, and the tube laser. Each concept provides a different solution and has its specific advantages and disadvantages. The multitude of materials processing applications require lasers with quite different specifications and there is no single “best” laser. For example, there is need for cw, q-switched, and pulsed (mspulses) operation. Q-switching, some materials processing applications, and second harmonic generation (SHG) make polarized beams desirable, while in other applications a randomly polarized beam is advantageous.