Red and orange Pr3+:LiYF4 planar waveguide laser

In this Letter we report on room temperature continuous wave laser operation in the red (639 nm, P-3(0) -> F-3(2)) and orange (604 nm, P-3(0) -> H-3(6)) spectral regions of Pr3+-doped LiYF4 planar waveguides fabricated by liquid phase epitaxy. Output powers of 25 and 12 mW and slope efficiencies of 5% and 6% were achieved at 639 and 604 nm, respectively, by pumping with an optically pumped semiconductor laser operating at 479.2 nm. (c) 2013 Optical Society of America