Abstract

The recent development of semiconductor laser diode arrays producing high average power (CW or near unity pulsed duty factors) at high efficiency is enabling the design, development, and commercialization of high average power-diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSLs) with excellent output beam quality. The high compactness, high reliability, and radiation-delivery-by-fiber achievable with all solid-state lasers with high output beam brightness has prompted interest by a wide variety of applications users. Although near resonant pumping with narrowband diode-pump arrays reduces specific thermal loadings of typical laser gain media by factors of several-fold compared to flashlamp pumping, the realization of high average power DPSSLs (tens of watts to kilowatts) requires the development and/or implementation of novel laser architectures, laser cavity resonators, laser medium geometries, and pump array coupling optics.

© 1994 IEEE