Abstract

The solid-state laser crytsal with waveguide structure has several advantages over bulk one due to the optical confinement which leads to the low-threshold and efficient oscillation. Among various solid-state laser media, neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd: YAG) waveguide has strong potential for application to diode-pumped waveguide lasers^1,2) and is also an ideal candidate for integrated optoelectronics applications such as Q-switched microchip lasers^3,4) which can be realized by monolithically combining their waveguide lasers with other optical components (e. g. Cr YAG thin film) on the same substrate. Thus, the possibility of fabricating YAG thin films with waveguide structure on various substrates will widen their applications in the fields of integrated optics.

© 1996 IEEE