Broadly tunable cw operation of Ni : MgF2 and Co : MgF2 lasers

Abstract
Operation of cw Ni : MgF2 and Co : MgF2 lasers with an external cavity has produced broadly tunable emission in the near infrared. The Ni : MgF2 laser was tuned continuously from 1.61 to 1.74 μm and the Co : MgF2 laser from 1.63 to 2.08 μm. Optical pumping with a 1.32‐μm Nd : YAG laser and conduction cooling of the laser crystals to 80 K yielded stable spiking‐free TEM00 outputs from both lasers with maximum cw output powers of about 100 mW. The Ni : MgF2 laser was operated with a single‐frequency output of 20 mW and was Q switched to generate a peak power output of 140 W at a 100‐Hz repetition rate.