Comparison of Nd:YAG Ceramic Laser Pumped at 885 nm and 808 nm

Laser performance of 1064 nm domestic Nd:YAG ceramic lasers for 885 nm direct pumping and 808 nm traditional pumping are compared. Higher slope efficiency of 34% and maximum output power of 16.5 W are obtained for the 885 nm pump with a 6 mm length 1 at.% Nd:YAG ceramic. The advantages for 885 nm direct pumping are discussed in detail. This pumping scheme for highly doping a Nd:YAG ceramic laser is considered as an available way to generate high power and good beam quality simultaneously.