Abstract

We report on room-temperature cw laser action of Er,Ho, and Tm-doped garnets under selective laser pumping. The lasers emit in the near infrared spectral region at wavelengths of 1,6 µm and 3 µm (Er), 1,8 µm (Tm), and 2 µm (Ho). The lasers are of interest because of their long upper state lifetimes, which allow high energy storage for pulsed operation. The eye-safe wavelengths also allow for applications in atmospheric propagation measurement techniques.

© 1987 Optical Society of America