Thermal, spectral properties and Q-switched laser operation of Nd:SrLaAlO 4 crystal

Abstract The thermal and spectral properties of a Nd:SrLaAlO4 (Nd:SLA) crystal were systematically studied, including thermal diffusivity, thermal expansion, specific heat, thermal conductivity, polarized absorption and emission spectra. Both continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched Nd:SLA laser operations were investigated. The maximum CW output power of 3.54 W was obtained at 1.077 μm, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 46.4%. In the passively Q-switched regime, the maximum average power, pulse repetition rate, and shortest pulse width were 1.8 W, 113 kHz, and 12.6 ns, respectively. All the results indicate that the Nd:SLA crystal is a highly efficient gain medium for laser applications.