Thermal shock and fatigue lifetime characteristics of ceramic Nd:YAG

The thermal shock and fatigue lifetime of a ceramic Nd:YAG laser material were analyzed. A new method is proposed to observe the effects induced by the intense temperature difference between the central portion and the surface of the material using a probe beam. The thermal effects of the intensity variations in the probe beam on a 2 at. % ceramic Nd:YAG were measured. The temperature difference and stress were high when the pump power suddenly increased or decreased compared to the thermal equilibrium. The thermal shock was the highest when the pumping started. The thermal shock resistance parameter of the laser material was 0.57 kW/m at a pump power of 14.9 W and zz stress component of 160.8 MPa. With 14.9 W pump power, the fatigue lifetime of the laser material was 238 cycles until it was damaged. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement