LD pumped quasi-three-level 928 nm laser with Nd:Gd0.69Y0.3TaO4 mixed crystal

We report on a 928 nm laser based on quasi-three-level transition of 4F3/2 → 4I9/2 in a Nd:Gd0.69Y0.3TaO4 mixed single crystal. With LD pumping at 808 nm, an output energy of 29.8 mJ at 928 nm is achieved with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 16.5% and a slope efficiency of 21.2%. In comparison, using 879 nm LD pumping, the maximum output energy at 928 nm reaches 48.5 mJ with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 33.4% and a slope efficiency of 38.0%.