Efficient 38.8 W/m2 solar pumped laser with a Ce:Nd:YAG crystal and a Fresnel lens.

ABSTRACT

Herein, we report a significant improvement in solar-pumped laser collection efficiency based on end-side pumping a 6-mm-diameter 95-mm-length CeNdYAG/YAG grooved bonded crystal rod. A Fresnel lens, quartz cooling-water tube, and gold-plated conical cavity constituted the solar-energy collection and concentration system, which was designed to maximum pump light absorption and minimize thermal effects in the CeNdYAG laser medium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a CeNdYAG crystal has been pumped by a Fresnel-lens solar-energy collection and concentration system. The 0.69-m2 effective solar-collection area produced 26.93 W of continuous-wave laser power, corresponding to 6.33% slope efficiency. The collection efficiency (38.8 W/m2) was 1.21 times higher than the highest previously reported value for Fresnel-lens solar collection, and is a record for single-beam solar-pumped lasers.