Efficient continuous-wave eye-safe Nd:YVO4 self-Raman laser at 1.5 µm

Due to a high Raman threshold and serious thermal effect, a challenge is to achieve efficient continuous-wave (CW) operation of a crystalline Raman laser at 1.5 µm. Based on effective thermal management and the self-Raman effect, we demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first efficient CW operation of a N d : Y V O 4 Raman laser at 1.5 µm. We achieve 685 mW of CW eye-safe emission at 1524.5 nm by the use of a 20-mm-long composite N d : Y V O 4 and 300-µm pump beam radius, with a diode-to-Stokes conversion efficiency of 4.8%. Lasers operating at ∼ 1.5 µ m have found many important applications in various areas such as optical communication, laser radar, laser ranging, remote sensing, and spectral research.