Fabrication of a Stress-Induced Nd:YAG Channel Waveguide Laser using fs-Laser Pulses

Abstract

Using a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser tracks of material damage were written into Nd:YAG. Due to stress induced birefringence waveguiding was achieved in different channels surrounding the tracks. Laser oscillation at 1064 nm was achieved with an output power of 132 mW at 284 mW of launched pump power. Spatially resolved emission spectra reveal no changes of the Nd3+fluorescence at 1064 nm. To investigate the underlying guiding mechanism highly selective chemical etching of the modified material was performed with etching rates up to 5 µm/h.