WAVE-GUIDE LASERS OPERATING AT 1084 NM IN NEODYMIUM-DIFFUSED LITHIUM-NIOBATE

We report the demonstration of waveguide lasers in lithium niobate into which the active element neodymium has been introduced by thermal diffusion. The waveguides were fabricated using conventional Ti indiffusion, and optical feed-back was provided by the polished endfaces alone. The absorbed power threshold of one waveguide laser was estimated at 13 +/- 3 mW for pumping at 814 nm, and its slope efficiency in terms of total lasing output as a function of absorbed pump power was estimated to be 55 +/- 8%. Laser output powers in excess of 100 mW were observed.