LD-pumped 2.8 μm Er:Lu2O3 ceramic laser with 6.7 W output power and >30% slope efficiency

Abstract We present a high-power, high-efficiency, laser-diode-pumped 2.8 μ m Er:Lu 2 O 3 ceramic laser generating record power at room temperature. Careful thermal management and pump-radius enlargement resulted in a continuous-wave output power of 6.7 W at 2845 nm, with a 30.2% slope efficiency. To our knowledge, this is the highest output power and slope efficiency ever achieved from a laser-diode-pumped 3 μ m Er-doped ceramic laser. These results confirm the possibility of generating high-output-power, high-efficiency laser using transparent ceramics.