High Purity Nd:YVO4 Laser Crystals

Neodymium doped yttrium orthovanadate crystal is becoming very important solid state laser material. It has started to replace Nd:YAG in some applications. There are three major advantages of vanadate crystals over Nd:YAG in the design of diode-pumped solid state lasers.

First, Nd:YVO4 has larger absorption coefficient at pump wavelength when compared with Nd:YAG. The peak pump wavelength is 808 nm, which is the standard wavelength of currently available high power laser diode. Nd:YVO4 has 5 times the absorption coefficient of Nd:YAG at this pump wavelength. This will allow smaller vanadate crystals to be used in the laser systems, thus permit a more compact laser system. At a given output power, this means that the laser diode can be operated at a lower power level than Nd:YAG laser system, thus extending the lifetime of the expensive laser diode. Secondly, Nd:YVO4 has a broader absorption bandwidth at the pump wavelength when compared with Nd:YAG. The pump absorption bandwidth is 2.4 to 6.3 times that of Nd:YAG. This valuable property means more efficient pumping and a broader range of diode specifications. This gives laser system makers wider choices in designing laser systems to suit their needs. Larger pump bandwidth also allows diodes with lower tolerances be used and this translates into lower cost. Thirdly, vanadate crystal has a larger stimulated emission cross-section at the lasing wavelength. The laser cross sections for the vanadate crystal range from 1.8 to 5.6 times greater than Nd:YAG. The Nd:YVO4 laser will maintain a strong single line emission and since vanadate crystal is uniaxial, it will produce only polarized laser output, thus avoiding undesired birefringent effects.

ITI Electro-Optics Corp., 11500 Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Tel: 310-312-4526; Fax: 310-479-0401.