Fluorescence and laser operation in single-mode Ti-diffused Nd:MgO:LiNbO(3) waveguide structures

The spectral properties of the guided-wave Nd fluorescence and results of laser oscillation in Ti-indiffused single-mode Nd:MgO:LiNbO (3) waveguides and waveguide cavities, respectively, are reported. The splitting and polarization behavior of the fluorescence lines around 0.9, 1.08, and 1.37 mum were studied. Using a single-mode diode laser as a pump source (lambda(p)=814.6 nm), an oscillation threshold in an 8-mm-long structure of 2.1-mW absorbed pump power has been obtained. An output power up to 310 muW (limited by the available pump power), a slope efficiency of 16% at power levels > 150 muW, and an emission linewidth of 0.21 nm (at lambda(s)=1085 nm) have been measured