Widely tunable yellow-green lasers based on the self-frequency-doubling material Yb:YAB

We report widely tunable infrared and self-frequency-doubled operation in ytterbium-doped yttrium aluminum berate (Yb:YAB). In the infrared, tuning has been obtained between 1016 and 1090 nm and also near 1125 nm. A tuning range at the 1-W level of 55 nm has been obtained. As a self-frequency-doubled laser, green output powers of 65 mW at 510 nm and over 450 mW at 530 nm have been demonstrated with a maximum diode-to-green conversion efficiency of 5%. Yb:YAB has been shown to cover the wavelengths of the copper-vapor (510 ran), argon-ion (514 nm), doubled Nd:YAG (532 nm), green HeNe (543 nm), and the doubled Yb:Sr-5(VO4)(3)F laser in the visible (similar to565 nm). (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.