70% slope efficiency from an ultrafast laser-written Nd: GdVO4 channel waveguide laser

We report high efficiency continuous wave laser oscillations at 1063.6 nm from an ultrafast laser written Nd³⁺:GdVO4 channel waveguide under the 808 nm optical excitation. A record 17 mms^-1 writing speed was used while the low propagation loss of the waveguide (~0.5 dBcm ^-1) enabled laser performance with a threshold pump power as low as 52 mW and a near to quantum defect limited laser slope efficiency of 70%. © 2010 Optical Society of America.