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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 20, Iss. 17 — Aug. 13, 2012
  • pp: 18620–18629

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 20 > Issue 17 > Page 18620

Femtosecond laser inscribed cladding waveguides in Nd:YAG ceramics: Fabrication, fluorescence imaging and laser performance

Hongliang Liu, Yuechen Jia, Javier Rodríguez Vázquez de Aldana, Daniel Jaque, and Feng Chen  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 20, Issue 17, pp. 18620-18629 (2012)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.20.018620


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Abstract

We report on the fabrication of depressed cladding waveguide lasers in Nd:YAG (neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet, Nd:Y3Al5O12) ceramics microstructured by femtosecond laser pulses. Full control over the confined light spatial distribution is demonstrated by the fabrication of high contrast waveguides with hexagonal, circular and trapezoidal configurations. The confocal fluorescence measurements of the waveguides reveal that the original luminescence features of Nd3+ ions are well-preserved in the waveguide regions. Under optical pump at 808 nm, cladding waveguides showed continuous wave efficient laser oscillation. The maximum output power obtained at 1064.5 nm is ~181 mW with a slope efficiency as high as 44%, which suggests that the fabricated Nd:YAG ceramic waveguides are promising candidates for efficient integrated laser sources.

© 2012 OSA

OCIS Codes
(130.3120) Integrated optics : Integrated optics devices
(140.3390) Lasers and laser optics : Laser materials processing
(230.7380) Optical devices : Waveguides, channeled

ToC Category:
Integrated Optics

History
Original Manuscript: June 8, 2012
Revised Manuscript: July 25, 2012
Manuscript Accepted: July 27, 2012
Published: July 31, 2012

Citation
Hongliang Liu, Yuechen Jia, Javier Rodríguez Vázquez de Aldana, Daniel Jaque, and Feng Chen, "Femtosecond laser inscribed cladding waveguides in Nd:YAG ceramics: Fabrication, fluorescence imaging and laser performance," Opt. Express 20, 18620-18629 (2012)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-20-17-18620


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