Abstract

The Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique has several advantages such as the possibility to produce thin films of any compound with a stoichiometric material transfer from the target to the substrate. Also the high energy of the ablated material is a benefit, leading to crystalline film growth due to the high mobility of the atoms on the substrate surface. In combination with a recently demonstrated efficient Nd:YAG waveguide laser, the PLD technique is suitable for producing passively Q-switched waveguide lasers by depositing thin films of highly doped Cr⁴⁺:YAG on one endface of the waveguide [1-2].

© 2009 IEEE