Design of a stacked diode array pumped Nd:YAG laser with a truncated compound parabolic concentrator and a diffusive optical cavity

We designed and analyzed a new Nd:YAG laser which employs a combination of a truncated compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) and a diffusive optical pump cavity for pumping with a stacked diode array. A design code based on a ray-tracing algorithm was developed to analyze the Nd:YAG laser system. The optimum truncated CPC profile was determined from analyses of the dependences of the pump-beam distribution and the total absorbed power in the laser crystal upon the acceptance angle and the slit width of the CPC. In addition, the analyses show the importance of the acceptance angle in designing an efficient laser system with a truncated CPC. Using conservative design parameters, the design code predicted a Nd:YAG laser output of 130 W with a corresponding optical slope efficiency of 44%