Spectroscopic analysis and efficient diode-pumped 19 μm Tm^3+-doped β′-Gd_2(MoO_4)_3 crystal laser

Tm3+-doped β'-Gd2(MoO4)3 single crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. Spectroscopic analysis was carried out along different polarizations. End-pumped by a quasi-cw diode laser at 795 nm in a plano-concave cavity, an average laser output power of 58 mW around 1.9 μm was achieved in a 0.93-mm-thick crystal when the output coupler transmission was 7.1%. The absorbed pump threshold was 8 mW and the slope efficiency of the laser was 57%. This crystal has smooth and broad gain curve around 1.9 μm, which shows that it is also a potential gain medium for tunable and short pulse lasers.