Broadly Tunable Yb3+-Doped Y3Al5O12 Ceramic Laser at Room Temperature

A diode-end-pumped Yb3+:Y3Al5O12(Yb:YAG) ceramic laser with a broad tunability was demonstrated. Continuous tunability with a spectral range of 104.52 nm from 994.35 to 1098.87 nm for T = 1% at a maximum output power of 1.4 W and with a spectral range of 118.31 nm from 992.52 to 1110.83 nm for T = 0.1% at a maximum output power of 0.16 W was also obtained at room temperature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the broadest tunability reported for a Yb:YAG laser. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics