Polycrystalline Ceramic Er:YAG Laser In-Band Pumped by a High-Power Er,Yb Fiber Laser at 1532 nm

We report on the high-power and efficient operation of a polycrystalline ceramic erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:Y 3 Al 5 O 12 , Er:YAG) laser resonantly pumped by a cladding-pumped Er,Yb fiber laser. The pump fiber laser was wavelength-locked to the absorption peak of Er:YAG at ∼1532 nm using a volume Bragg grating. The ceramic laser yielded 13.8 W of continuous-wave output at 1645 nm for 27.3 W of incident pump power, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 54.5% with respect to the incident pump power. The laser output characteristics of different Er 3+ doping levels are compared, and the prospects for improvement in lasing efficiency and output power are discussed.