Layered Yb:YAG ceramics produced by two different methods: processing, characterization, and comparison

Yb:YAG ceramic solid-state laser gain media have been of growing interest for high-repetition rate and high-power lasers during the last few years. A great advantage of ceramic technology compared with that of single crystals is the flexibility of shaping methods allowing the production of near-net-shape components with a well-defined internal structure. A favorable dopant distribution can enhance laser efficiency by mitigating thermal effects. The presented work reports on Yb: YAG transparent ceramics composed of layers with different Yb doping produced by two different shaping methods: dry pressing of spray-dried powders and tape casting, all sintered under high vacuum. The selected geometry of materials was based on numerical simulations. Optical quality of produced ceramics was characterized and discussed in connection with the microstructure and laser emission results. Output power of nearly 7 W and slope efficiency of 58.1% were obtained in quasi-continuous wave regime from bilayered 0% to 10% Yb: YAG. In the case of multilayered materials, higher scattering losses were observed. The comparison of the two processing methods highlighted that the tape-cast materials provided higher optical uniformity and the diffusion zone between the single layers with different dopant content was about 150 mu m compared to about 250 mu m in samples produced by pressing of powders. (C) 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)