We report a comprehensive characterization of a 10 at.% Yb3+-doped YSAG (Yb:Y₃ScxAl(5-x)O12, x = 1.5) ceramic, including microstructural, spectroscopic and laser properties. Moreover, we illustrate and discuss the fabrication technique. Yb3+ in YSAG features a broader absorption and emission band than in traditional YAG, which is advantageous for laser applications (i.e., tunable laser sources, ultrafast pulse generation). Pumping in a quasi continuous wave regime at 936 nm, the ceramic has shown good laser performance as the maximum output power was 6.3 W with a corresponding slope efficiency (ηs) of 67.8%. In continuous wave regime instead, the maximum output power was 5 W with ηs = 52.7%. The laser emission wavelengths in free running were λL = 1051 nm and λL = 1031 nm, depending on the output coupler transmission. Finally, by a tunable cavity we obtained laser emission spanning from 991.5 to 1073 nm, i.e., 81.5 nm, which is the broadest tuning range ever reported for this material, to the best of our knowledge.
Keywords: diode-pumped solid-state laser; transparent laser ceramic; tunable laser cavity; ytterbium-doped laser ceramics.