Nd:YAG end-pumped zigzag multi-pass slab amplifier optimization: numerical and experimental study regarding the saturation effects.

A numerical modeling of Nd:YAG end-pumped zigzag multi-pass slab amplifier is developed. Spatial dependent rate equations have been solved taking into consideration the pump and laser beam saturation effects with regard to overlap correction of the signal path through gain medium. Based on our results, efficient amplifier structure with optimized output power could be designed with respect to the change in the number of signal beam-pass, doping concentration and slab length.

An especial configuration for an Nd:YAG end-pumped zigzag slab gain module based on crystalline polytetrafluoroethylene and a specific optical system for pump-beam delivery.

This work experimentally introduces a new single-crystal Nd:YAG end-pumped zigzag slab (EPZS) gain module based on a thin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet as a total internal reflection (TIR) protection layer. In this gain module, a specific optical pump-beam delivery (OPBD) system is used to improve the output beam quality (BQ) of the slab amplifier from 9.4 in a typical OPBD system to 4.