Abstract

Powerful single-mode laser light source find widespread applications in metrology, priming and material processing. High power diode pumped solid state laser with excellent beam quality require sophisticated setups in order to compensate thermally induced effects and linear power scaling is only possible in a limited power range because the resonator design has to be adapted to the pump power. With waveguide lasers these problems can be overcome. The beam quality of a fiber laser is given by the fiber design and the large ratio of surface to active volume ensures excellent heat dissipation. Applying the double-clad fiber design low brightness pump diodes can be converted in diffraction limited output with optical efficiencies as high as 80%. Continuous-wave output powers of several 10 to 100 W in a nearly single spatial mode have been reported for diode pumped systems.^1,2

© 2002 Optical Society of America