Laser Comparison Study of Nd:BEL and Nd:YAG

Except for a few early instances, military tactical lasers have used Nd(3+) doped Y3Al5O12 (Nd:YAG) as the laser material. With an output wavelength of 1.064 micro and an optimum slope efficiency near 3.0%, the performance of this solid state material is well known (1), while the use of other materials is currently being evaluated (2,3,4). To provide an advantage over Nd:YAG, issues such as efficiency, beam quality, reliability, and availability must be considered. A study of a possible alternative to Nd:YAG was undertaken. Nd(3+) doped La2Be2O5 (Nd:BEL) was the material that was chosen. The research concentrated on relative performance parameters. What we hoped to identify were any glaring weaknesses of a material which could preclude its military use, or any significant strengths which would encourage its exploitation. To complement the data obtained, a brief discussion of spectroscopy, lasing levels, and other physical properties is included in Section II.