Broadband tunable operation of compact Yb:CGYA disordered crystal laser

A Yb:CaGd0.33Y0.625AlO4 (Yb:CGYA) laser crystal of high optical quality has been successfully synthesized via the Czochralski method. The introduction of Gd3+ ions preserves the original structure and efficiently generates inhomogeneous broadening of the Yb3+ ion emission spectra. The fluorescence emission peak wavelength of the Yb:CGYA crystal is 1053 nm, and the corresponding measured full width at half-maximum is 93 nm. A tunable laser output ranging from 1017 nm to 1073 nm is achieved by using a birefringent filter, which represents the broadest tuning range reported in a short cavity to date. The compact laser offers great advantages for its applications around 1 μm.