Thermal Management of Nd:YVO₄ Laser by 808-/880-nm Dual-Wavelength Pumping

Abstract

Here, we present a thermal load model of a Nd:YVO4 laser under dual-wavelength pumping. Pumping the gain medium with both traditional and in-band pump light in adjustable proportion, the design takes full advantage of high efficiency and low heat of the two pump schemes, and the thermal load can be controlled actively, thus being capable of achieving optimal laser performance allowed under certain restrictions. The range of optimal proportion under different restrictions is discussed. Experimental results of a Nd:YVO4 laser under 808-nm and 880-nm dual-wavelength pumping validated the theoretical analysis.

Keywords

• Pumping
• thermal effects
• solid-state
• diode-pumped