Abstract

We have demonstrated room temperature laser operation in Cr-doped SrAIF₅. In a 20-cm long nearly concentric resonator a 1.2-cm long crystal was longitudinally pumped with the 647.1-nm line from a krypton-ion laser. The laser was operated in a quasi-cw chopped mode. Stable repetitive relaxation oscillations are observed in the laser output. With output mirror transmission ≃ 0.5%, the output is 60 mW at 932 nm with 2 W of absorbed power at 647.1 nm and the threshold is 1.12 W. A tuning range of 852-947 nm has also been achieved with a single element birefrigent tuner. The relatively high laser threshold indicates a high-loss in our presently available sample. From the laser power I/O plot, a round-trip loss of 5% in our 1.2-cm long sample has been calculated. Such loss is not uncommon among laser crystals in their early stage of crystal growth.

© 1985 Optical Society of America