COST EFFECTIVE HOST MATERIAL FOR DIODE-PUMPED NEODYMIUM LASERS

THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-PULSE-ENERGY, DIODE-ARRAYPUMPED, SOLID-STATE LASERS IS INHIBITED BY THE COST OF THE DIODE ARRAYS. WHILE PROGRAMS ARE ADDRESSING THE COST OF DIODES, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ARRAYS REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THE MULTI-JOULE LEVEL OUTPUTS DESIRED BY MANY APPLICATIONS. A DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF ARRAYS REQUIRED CAN BE ACHIEVED BY USING A LASER MATERIAL WITH A LONGER OPTICAL STORAGE LIFETIME THAN THOSE CURRENTLY USED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HOST, OPTIMIZED FOR HIGH ENERGY DIODE ARRAY PUMPING, WOULD GREATLY ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PULSED DIODE-PUMPED SOLID-STATE LASERS, AS DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION COST COULD BE REDUCED BY AS MUCH AS A FACTOR OF TWO. SINCE ONE-MICRON NEODYMIUM LASERS ARE CURRENTLY THE OPTIMAL SOLID STATE SOURCE FOR NIR/VISIBLE 532-NM SOURCES, THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO DEVELOP LONG-LIFETIME, EASILY GROWABLE NEODYMIUM DOPED LASER MATERIALS FOR DIODE-PUMPED MULTI-JOULE LASERS.