Compact high-Power ceramic slab laser

Preliminary tests are here reported, carried out on a compact and rugged diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser for industrial applications. The laser design is based on a Neodimium doped slab shaped ceramic YAG medium. A maximum extraction of more than 320 W at a 44% slope efficiency level has been obtained with a simple half symmetric stable resonator scheme. Experimental data together with F.E.M. simulations indicate that power extraction can be scaled up to a multi-kilo Watt level with this extremely compact (overall dimensions: 160 x 100 x 60 mm) laser head geometry. A narrow transverse direction Beam Parameter Product (BPP) of the order of 3 mm.mrad is experimentally obtained. This enables the reasonable prediction of a good quality beam extraction adopting a stable multipass resonator or a hybrid stable-unstable resonator. Given the zig-zag resonator path, thermal lens effects appear scarcely critical.