A solid-state laser source is a laser source that uses a gain medium that is a solid, rather than a liquid as in dye lasers or a gas as in gas lasers. Semiconductor-based laser sources are also in the solid state, but are generally considered as a separate class from solid-state laser source.
Types of lasers
Solid-state laser.
Gas laser.
Liquid laser.
Semiconductor laser.
Definition: lasers based on solid-state gain media (usually ion-doped crystals or glasses) .
More specific terms: doped insulator lasers, all-solid-state lasers, bulk lasers, fiber lasers, semiconductor lasers.
What is the pumping source of solid-state laser?
Many solid-state lasers are optically pumped with flash lamps or arc lamps. Such pump sources are relatively cheap and can provide very high powers. However, they lead to a fairly low power efficiency, moderate lifetime, and strong thermal effects such as thermal lensing in the gain medium.
Pumping source in nd yag laser
Nd:YAG lasers are optically pumped using a flashtube or laser diodes. These are one of the most common types of laser, and are used for many different applications. Nd:YAG lasers typically emit light with a wavelength of 1064 nm, in the infrared. However, there are also transitions near 946, 1120, 1320, and 1440 nm. The pumping source in nd yag laser is a flashtube or laser diodes.
Diode pumped solid state laser
solid-state mid-infrared laser sources
fiber laser source
laser lab source
Diode-pumped Solid-State Lasers
Acronym: DPSSL = diode-pumped solid-state laser
solid-state lasers which are pumped with laser diodes
• lamp-pumped lasers, having some kind of discharge lamp as the pump source
• diode-pumped lasers, pumped with some kind of laser diodes
Types of Diode-pumped Lasers
Most diode-pumped lasers are solid-state lasers (DPSSL = DPSS lasers = diode-pumped solid-state lasers). These are either bulk lasers, using some kind of laser crystal or bulk piece of glass, or fiber lasers (although the term DPSSL is less common for fiber lasers). Both categories span a range of output powers from a few milliwatts to multiple kilowatts (→ high-power lasers).
What Types of Laser Diodes for Diode Pumping Exist
There are different types of laser diodes which can be used for diode pumping:
• Low-power lasers (up to roughly 200 mW) can be pumped with small edge-emitting laser diodes. These exhibit a diffraction-limited beam quality and make it fairly easy to achieve the same for the solid-state laser.
• Broad area laser diodes typically generate several watts and are suitable for pumping solid-state lasers with output powers up to a few watts. Their beam quality is substantially asymmetric, but normally still sufficient for achieving a diffraction-limited laser output without using complicated optics.
• High-power diode bars emit dozens of watts (up to 100 watts), allowing for higher output powers, particularly when several bars are combined. Their beam quality is strongly asymmetric and fairly poor so that their radiance (brightness) is much lower than that of lower-power diodes. Various types of beam shapers are used to symmetrize the beam quality. This makes it easier either to pump a bulk laser or to couple the light into a fiber.
• For the highest powers, diode stacks are often used. These have a still worse beam quality and lower brightness but can provide multiple kilowatts.