Optical properties and laser characteristics of highly Nd3+-doped Y3Al5O12 ceramics

Diode-pumped laser oscillation in highly Nd3+-doped polycrystalline Y3Al5O12 (YAG) ceramics has been demonstrated. The Nd:YAG ceramics are highly transparent; the loss of a 2.3 at. % neodymium-doped ceramic is as low as that of a 0.9 at. % Nd:YAG single crystal. The high doping of Nd3+ ions realizes large pump absorption; a 6.6 at. %-doped ceramic has an absorption coefficient of 60.4 cm−1 at 808 nm. The same concentration quenching parameter is obtained between the Nd:YAG ceramics and Nd:YAG single crystals. A laser using an 847-μm-thick 3.4 at. % Nd:YAG ceramic as a gain medium operates at 2.3 times higher output power than the same laser with a 719-μm-thick 0.9 at. % Nd:YAG single-crystal gain medium.