Nd:YAG laser rod manufactured by femtosecond laser-induced chemical etching

We present a cylindrical rod of single-crystal Nd:YAG fabricated from a bulk crystal using femtosecond laser-induced preferential etching. The rod is pumped at 808 nm, and the laser characteristics at 1064 nm emission and the thermal stability are investigated. The slope efficiency was determined with a maximum optical-to-optical efficiency of 7.9%*0.29% and a FWHM linewidth of 299 +/- 63 pm. The etched rod shows parameters consistent with existing Nd:YAG gain crystals. This fabrication technology will find use in composite micro-optical devices where microfluidics, active and passive optics, and structures can be etched out of many different materials and combined into a single device. Published by Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Automated summary

A single-crystal Nd:YAG cylindrical rod fabricated through femtosecond laser-induced preferential etching is studied for its laser characteristics and thermal stability. This fabrication technology is expected to be utilized in composite micro-optical devices.