Low threshold quasi-three-level 946 nm laser operation of an epitaxially grown Nd:Y3Al5O12 waveguide

We report the 946 nm laser operation of an epitaxially grown Nd:YAG planar waveguide. The incident and absorbed power thresholds of 4 and 1.2 mW, respectively, are lower than those reported for bulk lasers when using a similar experimental setup. We also report the use of Ga doping of the active layer to increase the refractive index difference to allow the production of very small guiding layers.