Deep red diode-pumped Pr3+:KY3F10 continuous-wave laser

We report the first observation of continuous-wave laser emission at 720 nm, in the deep red region, of a Pr3+:KY3F10 (Pr:KYF) single crystal, pumped with a blue InGaN-based laser diode at 446 nm. We employed a hemispherical cavity with three different output coupling mirrors transmitting 0.7%, 1.4%, and 2.7% of laser radiation. We obtained a maximum output power of 207 mW with a slope efficiency of 24.3%, comparable for the first time to what has been reported for other praseodymium-doped fluoride crystals. The round-trip cavity losses for our sample were estimated to be between 0.3% and 0.6%, a remarkably small value for this material. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America