New Materials for Diode Pumped Solid State Lasers and Its Applications to Medical Photonics

Abstract

In the history of lasers, 1980 is a remarkable year. In this year an efficient, powerful room temperature AlGaAs semiconductor laser revolutionized the field of solid-state laser. Replacement of conventional flash lamps paved a path for diode pumped solid-state lasers. Many Nd³⁺ ions doped laser crystals such as Nd:LiYF₄ and Nd:YVO₄ has emerged. As you know, Erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) needed 980 nm laser to make a revolution in amplifying optical signals. Luckily, InGaAs laser diode with 980 nm was developed. This laser was used as diode pumped laser for Yb: YAG laser, which was discarded as inefficient laser during 1960s. Hence, Ytterbium (Yb³⁺) doped solid-state laser (Yb: YAG) pumped with InGaAs laser diodes has been intensively and successfully developed. A search is in progress for novel Yb doped crystals possessing properties superior to known Yb laser with new capabilities. Several such materials have been identified and characterized recently. This talk concerns with such new laser materials for diode pumped solid-state lasers and its potential use in cosmetic, medical and veterinary photonics.