Q-switched Nd:YLF laser end pumped by a diode-laser bar.

ABSTRACT

We describe 20-kW operation of a Q-switched NdYLF laser end pumped by a 5-mJ, 25-W quasi-cw diode-laser bar. A fiber coupler was used to adapt the 1-cm-wide active area of the diode-laser bar to the circular shape of the TEM(00) mode. The maximum 1047-nm TEM(00) output energy was 0.5 mJ in a 22-nsec Q-switched pulse. This corresponds to a peak power in excess of 20 kW and was obtained at an optical slope efficiency of 13%.