Flat-topped beam output from a double-clad rectangular dielectric waveguide laser with a high-index inner cladding

A novel method to produce a flat-topped laser beam by using a double-clad rectangular waveguide laser with high-index inner cladding is presented. The waveguide dispersion equation for cosine mode was deduced, the condition for the flattened mode was given out, relative gains for guided modes were calculated numerically and analyzed. Results indicate that a gain advantage for the flattened mode is clear, a flat-topped laser beam can be achieved when the optical confinement factor, the gain intensity and the output coupler are chosen suitably.