Open AccessFemtosecond laser direct writing of depressed cladding waveguides in Nd:YAG with “ear-like” structures: fabrication and laser generation
Author(s) -
Xiaoli Sun,
Shuo Sun,
Carolina Romero,
Javier R. Vázquez de Aldana,
Fengqin Liu,
Yuechen Jia,
Feng Chen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.417815
Subject(s) - materials science , laser , optics , cladding (metalworking) , waveguide , femtosecond , fabrication , optoelectronics , medicine , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , metallurgy
Low-loss depressed cladding waveguide architecture is highly attractive for improving the laser performance of waveguide lasers. We report on the design and fabrication of the "ear-like" waveguide structures formed by a set of parallel tracks in neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) crystal via femtosecond laser writing. The obtained "ear-like" waveguides are with more symmetric mode profiles and lower losses by systematically comparing the guiding properties of two kinds of normal cladding waveguide. Efficient waveguide lasers are realized based on the designed structure in both continuous wave and pulsed regimes. Combined the high-gain from cladding waveguide and special "ear-like" structure, a passively fundamentally Q-switched laser with the narrow pulse width and the high repetition rate has been obtained by using tin diselenide (SnSe 2 ) as saturable absorber.