Self-frequency-doubled vibronic yellow Yb:YCOB laser at the wavelength of 570 nm

A watt-level self-frequency-doubled yellow laser at the 570 nm wavelength was realized by taking advantage of the vibronic emission of a Yb3+ doped calcium yttrium oxoborate (Yb: YCOB) crystal cut along the optimized direction out of the principal planes with the maximum effective nonlinear coefficient. Fluorescence spectroscopic properties of Yb: YCOB were studied, which showed that it had broad and anisotropic vibronic emission with a small peak at similar to 1130 nm. By suppressing the electronic emission, the polarized vibronic Yb: YCOB radiation was realized with the fundamental wavelength shifting from 1130 nm to 1140 nm. By employing the self-frequency-doubling behavior of Yb:YCOB, the self-frequency-doubled yellow laser was achieved with a maximum output power of 1.08 W at 570 nm. This work provides an unprecedented and efficient way to generate yellow lasers with a compact microchip structure that may have promising applications in some regimes including medicine, entertainment, and scientific research. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America