Analytical and Experimental Studies on Nd:YVO₄/KTP Lasers Pumped by High-brightness Laser Diodes

Abstract

We report analytical and experimental studies on the characteristics of a high-brightness laser diode end-pumped Nd:YVO₄/KTP laser. A simple model was developed to optimize the cavity parameters and estimate the green output power of intracavity frequency doubled lasers. Using a 1 W high-brightness laser diode as the pump source, high efficiency operation was realized. The second-harmonic output power at 532 nm was measured to be 286.5 mW at an incident pump power of 881.4 mW, corresponding to an optical to optical efficiency of 32.5%.