Efficient diode-pumped Yb:Gd₂SiO₅ laser

An efficient diode-pumped laser was demonstrated by using an ytterbium-doped laser crystal, Yb: Gd2 Si O5 (Yb:GSO), wherein Yb3+ ions exhibit the largest ground-state splitting among all the ytterbium-doped crystals. The Yb:GSO laser can be operated at a low pumping threshold, and the most efficient laser occurs around 1088 nm since the corresponding emission band has the largest emission cross section and the lowest thermal population. A slope efficiency of 75% was demonstrated for a continuous-wave Yb:GSO laser at 1094 nm, and self-pulsed lasers were achieved within the tunable range of 1091-1105 nm, which are the longest laser wavelengths achieved for Yb3+ lasers.