Intra-cavity selective absorption polarizer for a 1 µm solid-state laser

Abstract

A type of intra-cavity polarizer based on a selective absorption mechanism was reported. For Sm:GdCa4O(BO3)3 (Sm:GdCOB) crystal, its polarized absorption property takes on significant anisotropy, and at 1 µm waveband its Y- polarized absorption is close to zero. Utilizing such special property, Sm:GdCOB intra-cavity polarizer are developed for 1 µm solid-state lasers, to generate Y-polarized laser output. This method has been successfully applied to different laser crystals, including cubic Nd:Y3Al5O12 (Nd:YAG), uniaxial Nd:LiGd(MoO4)2 (Nd:LGMO), and biaxial Nd:Lu2Y2SiO5 (Nd:LYSO). In summary, this research supplies a novel, effective, convenient, and cost-saving route to control the polarization and wavelength of solid-state lasers.