LED-pumped Er:Cr:YSGG light sources

For, what we believe is, the first time, an Er:Cr:YSGG crystal is pumped by LEDs through a Ce:YAG luminescent concentrator. We demonstrate both laser emission at 2.79 mu m and strong spontaneous emission at 1.6 mu m. The luminescent concentrator delivers 1.5 ms pulses at 10 Hz in the visible (550-650 nm) to the Er:Cr:YSGG crystal, in a transverse pumping configuration. The Er:Cr:YSGG laser produces up to 6.8 mJ at 2.79 mu m in a biconcave cavity. The Er:Cr:YSGG also stands out as a bright broadband incoherent source around 1.6 mu m with a unique combination of peak power (351 mW) and brightness (1.4 W/sr/cm2).