The Unique Challenges of Coating Laser Crystals

Laser crystals are used as the gain media for solid-state lasers and are critical for enabling a wide variety of applications ranging from laser materials processing to medical lasers. Like most optical components, coatings are added to improve spectral performance. However, coating laser crystals comes with unique challenges not experienced when coating other optics, such as complex geometries, coating many different surfaces, and high laser-induced damage thresholds. Learn the solutions for these challenges and key parameters to look for when sourcing coated laser crystals to maximize the performance of your laser system.

About the presenter
Karl George Jr. has 38 years of experience in the photonics industry. He spent five years developing optical coatings for high-precision optics at Perkin Elmer and Brysen Optical. His first exposure to laser optics was at Virgo Optics, improving manufacturing processes for laser crystals and pioneering the development of Ti:sapphire mirrors. He then went on to spend nine years at the industry-leading manufacturer of high-power laser optics and crystals, Quality Thin Films (QTF). QTF established itself as a leader in crystal fabrication and coating for high-power lasers, winning the 2008 Boulder Competition for the highest damage threshold ever recorded. QTF was acquired by Edmund Optics® in 2020, and George serves as its General Manager, guiding the production of high-power laser optics.