Solid-State Lasers

The most common solid laser media are rods of ruby crystals and neodymium-doped glasses and crystals. The ends of the rod are fashioned into two parallel surfaces coated with a highly reflecting nonmetallic film. Solid-state lasers offer the highest power output. They are usually operated in a pulsed manner to generate a burst of light over a short time. Certain bursts have been achieved, which are useful in studying physical phenomena of very brief duration. Pumping is achieved with light from xenon flash tubes, arc lamps or metal-vapour lamps. The frequency range has been expanded from infrared (IR) to ultraviolet (UV).