Highly efficient 2% Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet ceramic laser

A highly efficient diode-laser end-pumped polycrystalline 2% Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) ceramics laser that is comparable in efficiency with Nd:YAG single crystal laser has been developed. With 883 mW pumping, 465-mW-cw laser output at 1064 nm has been obtained corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 52.7%. The laser threshold is only 30 mW with R=97% output coupler. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)02250-6].