HIGH AVERAGE POWER DIODE PUMPED SLAB LASER

We have developed and tested stackable microchannel cooled laser bar diode pump packages suitable for direct pumping of slab lasers at high duty factor. A stack of 41 diode packages gives a pump array of 13.5 cm2 and produces a peak power of 4000 W and an average power of 1000 W for an average irradiance of 75 W/cm2. A high average power, total internal reflection face pumped Nd:YAG laser using 80 diode packages has been constructed. Preliminary testing of the slab laser using a 20% subset of diode packages arranged to pump a 4 mm x 4 mm x 80 mm volume of the slab has been completed. Seventy watts average power is obtained at 2.5 kHz pulse repetition rates and 100-mu-s pulsewidths.