LED-pumped Er:Cr:YSGG light sources

Abstract

For, what we believe is, the first time, an Er:Cr:YSGG crystal is pumped by LEDs through a Ce:YAG luminescent concentrator. We demonstrate both laser emission at 2.79 µm and strong spontaneous emission at 1.6 µm. The luminescent concentrator delivers 1.5 ms pulses at 10 Hz in the visible (550-650 nm) to the Er:Cr:YSGG crystal, in a transverse pumping configuration. The Er:Cr:YSGG laser produces up to 6.8 mJ at 2.79 µm in a biconcave cavity. The Er:Cr:YSGG also stands out as a bright broadband incoherent source around 1.6 µm with a unique combination of peak power (351 mW) and brightness (1.4 W/sr/cm2).