Abstract

The surge of interest in solid-state lasers over the past decade has been led by bulk lasers, with fiber lasers next to join in, and planar waveguide lasers the most recent addition. Each of these three types of laser geometry has its own attractive features which point to various areas of application where each type might be expected to excel. However, there are also areas of competition between the different types of laser with, as yet, no clear favorite. This tutorial will examine some of these areas of competition, as a way of reviewing the relative benefits of a confined, waveguide geometry versus a bulk geometry. Thus, while bulk lasers are seen as the natural candidates for high-power lasers, it has to be noted that the cladding-pumped fiber geometry has allowed fiber lasers to reach average powers of 10 W, with potentially much more to be achieved. Similarly, single-frequency lasers, often seen to be the domain of bulk lasers with short resonators, either ring lasers or microchips, are now seeing competition from, short fiber lasers equipped with in fiber gratings, and even DI% fiber lasers. These and other areas of potential competition between guided and bulk devices will be examined, The balance of competition undergoes sudden shifts as new techniques appear, e.g. the arrival of fiber gratings, the availability of quasi-phase-matched material in bulk form, the arrival of an improved technique for focusing the aspect from high-power diode sources, etc. So, the conclusion from this examination may not produce a dear-cut answer. In fact, the conclusion will likely raise; yet more questions, more avenues to research….

© 1995 Optical Society of America