Fluorescence and laser operation in single-mode Ti-diffused Nd:MgO:LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguide structures

The spectral properties of the guided-wave Nd fluorescence and results of laser oscillation in Ti-indiffused single-mode Nd:MgO:LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguides and waveguide cavities, respectively, are reported. The splitting and polarization behavior of the fluorescence lines around 0.9, 1.08, and 1.37 mu m were studied. Using a single-mode diode laser as a pump source ( lambda /sub p/=814.6 nm), an oscillation threshold in an 8-mm-long structure of 2.1-mW absorbed pump power has been obtained. An output power up to 310 mu W (limited by the available pump power), a slope efficiency of 16% at power levels >150 mu W, and an emission linewidth of 0.21 nm (at lambda /sub s/=1085 nm) have been measured.>