1.29-W radially polarized and bonded Nd:YAG crystal laser

This letter reports the generation of watt-level radially polarized light from an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser by utilizing a photonic crystal grating as the polarization-selective output coupler. The Nd: YAG crystal is bonded with two un-doped YAG crystal end caps, which is used to weaken the thermal lens effect and thus enhance the extraction of stored energy in bulk gain material. The radially polarized output from this laser reached 1.29-W laser power, 46.5% slope efficiency and a polarization purity of 97.9%. [GRAPHICS] Measured laser spectrum at 1-W output power (C) 2011 by Astro Ltd. Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA