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A laser crystal of Yb:LuVO4 with high optical quality was grown by the Czochralski technique. Its thermal properties including specific heat, thermal expansion coefficients, and thermal conductivities along the a- and c-axis have been measured for the first time. Continuous-wave laser output up to 3.5 W at 1031 nm was obtained at room temperature through end-pumping by a high-power diode laser. The corresponding optical conversion efficiency was 43% and the slope efficiency was 72%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. A comparative study of Nd:GdVO[sub 4] and Nd:YVO[sub 4] crystal lasers pumped by a cw diode laser has been conducted at the fundamental wavelengths of 1.06 micro m and 1.34 micro m, as well as when intracavity frequency-doubled to 532 nm and 670 nm, respectively. At these four wavelengths, maximum output powers from the Nd:GdVO[sub 4] crystal laser were 1.27 W, 800mW, 610mW, and 82mW at a diode-launched pump power of 2.9 W. The threshold pump powers were 64 mW, 159 mW, 5 mW, and 12 mW, respectively. All the results obtained from Nd:GdVO[sub 4] were superior to those of Nd:YVO[sub 4], indicating that Nd:GdVO[sub 4] is a more efficient laser crystal than Nd:YVO[sub 4] for diode-pumped solid-state lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]