Thermal analysis and 1.38 μm CW laser performances based on a new tungstate crystal Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)7

1.38 mu m diode-end-pumped crystalline lasers have important applications. Unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve 1.38 mu m lasers in Nd3+-doped crystals. In this paper, a Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)(7) crystal with dimensions of phi 21 x 37 mm(3) was successfully grown by the Czochralski method. The thermal distributions on the end-pump facet and along the axial orientations were analyzed with respect to its lasing properties at 1.38 mu m. A plane-plane oscillation cavity with the model of diode-end-pumped was designed to perform the laser experiment. Considering the influence of thermal lens effect, a NLW/Nd:NLW composite crystal, instead of a Nd:NLW crystal was used as the gain medium. A 1381 nm laser with a maximum output power of 1.87 W was demonstrated. The slope efficiency is 22.8%. Results show that the Nd3+:Na2La4(WO4)(7 )crystal may be a promising candidate for the applications of similar to 1.38 mu m laser in many areas.