Easy High Power DPSS Laser?
(From: Bob.) Actually, if you have an abundance of pump energy (e.g., you inherited a bunch of high power laser diode bars!), and aren’t concerned with setting an academic efficiency record, a DPSS system is about the easiest solid state laser to build. Definitely the safest – no high voltage here!!! (Well unless you are building a really HUGE DPSS laser.) The first DPSS laser I built consisted of an old Quantronix YAG rod and flow tube assembly. I hadn’t had any reflectors machined for it yet, so I took a few laser diode bars and soldered them to a heatsink I made myself. I lined them up so a single linear beam was formed and placed this close to my flow tube assembly (it wasn’t AR coated for 808 nm either), and used heavy duty Reynolds brand aluminum foil as a reflector of all things!!! Out of 250 W of pump diodes (yeah, everyone has access to these. 🙂 — Sam.) I only got about 30 W of IR, but hey, it was a 30 W IR laser I could use in my living room without a water connection or a
