Highly efficient phase locking of four diode pumped Nd:YAG laser beams

Abstract : We describe the mutual phase-locking of four Nd:YAG beams longitudinally end-pumped by four fiber-coupled diode lasers. Mutual phase-locking is performed by two types of diffractive components located inside a telescopic Fabry–Perot resonator. The control of the phase-locking is shown and the different spatial eigenmodes connected with the pumping geometry in the resonator are theoretically and experimentally studied. 1.2 W is obtained in a single mode stable pattern with 30% optical-to-optical conversion efficiency in the continuous wave regime.