Abstract

Lasing of the trivalent erbium ion in garnet hosts at wavelengths close to 3μm has attracted considerable interest. This is primarily due to the strong absorption by water around this wavelength, making erbium doped lasers suitable for use in a range of medical and biological applications [1-3]. A variety of erbium doped hosts have been investigated to date, of which Er:YAG has been the most intensively researched. However, Er:YSGG shows promise for the construction of a more efficient laser system owing to its longer upper laser level lifetime of 1.3ms compared with 0.12ms in Er:YAG [1]. In this work we report operation of a quasi continuous wave (QCW) diode pumped 30 at. % Er:YSGG laser in the bounce geometry, yielding pulse energies of up to 41mJ and a slope efficiency of 12.6%.

© 2011 Optical Society of America