High-power 786nm VCSEL-pumped Tm:YAG laser

A novel high-power 786nm VCSEL pumped Tm:YAG laser was demonstrated in this paper. A side-pumping chamber with 54 VCSEL chips and a 3mm diameter Tm:YAG rod was designed and pumping experiment was performed. Peak power of 750W at 2013nm was achieved with pumping power of around 3500W at 786.1nm in 5ms pulse width at 10Hz with a coolant temperature of 10°C. The maximum optical-to-optical efficiency was calculated up to 22.6%. With features of low wavelength shift and high reliability in pulsed mode from the VCSEL, this VCSEL pumped Tm:YAG laser can be an alternative solution compared with conventional flash lamp or laser bar pumped Tm:YAG lasers for various medical applications such as prostatectomy and lithotripsy.