Tm,Ho:YLF microchip laser under Ti:sapphire and diode pumping

In this paper, we compare the performances of a Tm,Ho:YLF microchip laser when pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser and by a fiber-coupled diode laser. We report the performances obtained for both pumping schemes. Afterwards, we analyse, the reasons for the reduction in efficiency. Using a theoretical model, we conclude that the loss in performance for diode pumping is essentially due to the pump power reflected by the laser cavity when the crystal faces present parasitic reflectivity at the pump wavelength.