Efficient 2.9 μm fluorozirconate glass waveguide chip laser

We report a large mode-area holmium-doped ZBLAN waveguide laser operating at 2.9 mu m, which was pumped by a 1150 nm diode laser. The laser is based on ultrafast laser inscribed depressed cladding waveguides fabricated in uniformly rare-earth-doped bulk glass. It has a threshold of 28 mW and produced up to 27 mW of output power at an internal slope efficiency of approximately 20%. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America