High efficiency Yb:YAG crystalline fiber-waveguide lasers

A laser diode (LD) cladding pumped single-mode 1030 nm laser has been demonstrated, in an adhesive-free bonded 40 μm core Yb:YAG crystalline fiber waveguide (CFW). A laser output power of 13.2 W at a wavelength of 1.03 μm has been achieved, for an input pump power of 39.5 W. The corresponded laser efficiency is 33.4%. The laser beam quality is confirmed to be near diffraction-limited, with a measured M2 = 1.02. A LD core pumped single-clad Yb:YAG CFW laser has also been demonstrated with a top-hat laser beam profile, with a laser output power of 28 W and a slope efficiency of 78%.