Quasi-three-level neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser emitting at 885 nm

Abstract

We present a diode-pumped quasi-three-level neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser at 885 nm, based on the 4F3/2-4I9/2 transition, generally used for a 946 nm emission. Combined with polarization components (Nd:YAG), the electro-optical crystal KH2PO4 (KDP) formed a Lyot filter in the cavity and compressed the available gain bandwidth. With an incident pump power of 9.2 W, a 714 mW continuous-wave (CW) output at 885 nm was achieved, and the optical-to-optical efficiency was 7.8%. With an adjustable voltage applied to the KDP crystal, the laser wavelength could be tuned from 885 nm to 884 nm. A simultaneous dual-wavelength Nd:YAG laser at 885 nm and 884 nm was also realized by adjusting the free spectral range of the Lyot filter. To our knowledge, it is the first study that has realized the tuning between the 884 and 885 nm lines and the simultaneous dual-wavelength CW laser operation at 885 nm and 884 nm.