Abstract

YAIO₃:Er is a laser material that allows laser action in the wavelength ranges of 0.85, 1.7, and 3 μm.¹ In a YAIO₃:Er laser crystal oriented with its axis parallel to the crystallographic b direction (in Pnma notation) and with a concentration of 1.25 wt. % Er, laser operation at new wavelengths in the 1.7-μm band has been achieved. The optical resonator was made from dielectric mirrors of 100 and 95% reflectivity. Besides the known wavelength of 1.663 μm for the first time, also emission at wavelengths of 1.678, 1.708, and 1.729 μm has been observed. These laser lines can be assigned to transitions of the ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_9/2 manifolds. The emission is tunable to one of these four lines by means of an etalon introduced into the laser resonator. Besides the etalon of 100-μm thickness that gave the best results, also a prism or a Lyot filter was successfully used as a tuning element. The laser emission is polarized. Emission at 1.663 μm occurs with the E vector parallel to the a direction at the three new wavelengths with the E vector parallel to the c direction. An output energy up to 10 mJ was obtained with a laser rod of 4-×¼-in. dimension arranged in an elliptical gold-plated pump cavity with a linear xenon flashlamp operated at typically 100-J pump energy.

© 1986 Optical Society of America