Study on the Diode-pumped Yb:Y 2 O 3 Ceramic Laser

We report on a high-power diode-end-pumped polycrystalline Yb:Y 2 O 3 ceramic laser. Under the pump power of 27 W, Continuous-wave output power of 9.2 W at 1078 nm has been obtained. The laser had a threshold of 3.1 W and a slope efficiency of 41%. Comparative studies between the Yb:Y 2 O 3 ceramic and the Yb:YAG single crystal lasers show that at the same doping concentration of the Yb-ions, higher laser efficiency can be obtained in the Yb:Y 2 O 3 ceramic laser than in the Yb:YAG single crystal laser.