Continuous-wave and passively Q-switched Tm 3+ -doped LuAG ceramic lasers

We report on diode-pumped continuous-wave Tm:LuAG ceramic laser with a maximum output power of 2.64 W and slope efficiency of about 35.6%. Using a Cr:ZnSe saturable absorber, we also operate the Tm:LuAG ceramic laser in passively Q-switched regime. A maximum average output power up to 1.06 W with a slope efficiency of 16.1% is achieved with a V-shaped laser resonator. The narrowest pulse width is measured to be about 277 ns and the maximum pulse energy is about 81.4 μJ.