Abstract
Higher power YAG laser systems have been expected to realize novel applications of high-precision welding and cutting with flexible and clean processes for car industries and heavy-section industries etc. However, the output power of YAG laser is limited by the thermal effects of laser rods at the high power pumping. Recently high power technologies of lamp pumped YAG laser have been developed to realize 10 kW output power commercial laser with a good beam quality, by improving cavity modules performance and using cascade arrangement or MOPA technologies. The LD-pumped YAG laser is much superior to the lamp-pumped YAG laser from the viewpoint of the plug efficiency, beam quality, maintenance-free and etc. Owingto the rapid progress in high power LD pumping technologies, 2 kW LD-pumped YAG laser with an excellent beam quality of 50 mm·mrad has been already commercialized domestically and the higher output power LD-pumped laser has been further developed.
