70% slope efficiency from an ultrafast laser-written Nd:GdVO4 channel waveguide laser

We report high efficiency continuous wave laser oscillations at 1063.6 nm from an ultrafast laser written Nd3+: GdVO4 channel waveguide under the 808 nm optical excitation. A record 17 mm.s(-1) writing speed was used while the low propagation loss of the waveguide (similar to 0.5 dB.cm(-1)) enabled laser performance with a threshold pump power as low as 52 mW and a near to quantum defect limited laser slope efficiency of 70%. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America