Edmund Optics Laser Crystals Suitable For Application Integration

Edmund Optics (EO), a provider of optical components, introduced new Laser Crystals, which are the active-gain medium in solid-state laser systems. The optical properties for a given crystal are determined by the crystal’s composition, which dictates the optimal application or laser type for that crystal. A range of laser crystals are available for integration including: neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd: YAG); neodymium-doped yttrium-vanadate (Nd: YVO4); ytterbium-doped potassium-gadolinium-tungstate (Yb: KGW); potassium-ytterbium-tungstate (Yb: KYW); and titanium-sapphire (Ti: Sapphire).

• Nd: YAG Laser Crystals feature high laser damage thresholds. Nd: YAG Laser Crystals feature high optical homogeneity, high laser damage thresholds, processing accuracy and excellent stability. These anti-reflective (AR)-coated crystals also provide a long fluorescence lifetime and thermal conductivity for maximum throughput at 1064 nanometre (nm). Nd: YAG Laser Crystals are suitable for high-power continuous wave (CW), Q-Switched or single-mode operation.
• Nd: YVO4 Laser Crystals can produce blue, green or infrared laser beams. Nd: YVO4 Laser Crystals feature high damage thresholds, strong mechanical properties and quality optical properties. Nd: YVO4 has a large stimulated-emission cross section, high absorption and a broad absorption band centred at 807nm, which is suitable for compact diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers. Depending on the setup Nd: YVO4 Laser Crystals can operate at 1342nm, 1064nm and 914nm with associated harmonics in the green and blue wavelengths. Nd: YVO4 Laser Crystals have been AR-coated for maximum throughput at 808nm and 1064nm.
• Yb: KGW and Yb: KYW Laser Crystals provide broad laser output from 1020nm to 1060nm. Yb: KGW and Yb: KYW Laser Crystals are low quantum-defect lasing materials used to generate high power, ultrashort pulses. They offer a broad laser output at 1020nm to 1060nm with more than a 55% slope efficiency with diode pumping. Yb: KGW Laser Crystals are suitable as ultrashort pulse amplifiers or for use in high-power thin-disk lasers. Yb: KYW Laser Crystals are suited for laser radiation tuning in the 1020nm to 1060nm range, as well as to generate pulses shorter than 70 femtoseconds (fs). Both have been AR-coated for maximum throughput of 980nm to 1064nm.
• Ti: Sapphire Laser Crystals are suitable for ultra-fast lasers and oscillators. Ti: Sapphire Laser Crystals provide large gain and emission bandwidths with high laser-damage thresholds and saturation power. With thermal conductivity, they are outstanding for implementation into ultra-fast, femtosecond-pulsed or wavelength-tuneable CW lasers.