Experimental study of the generation of a blue laser by intracavity frequency doubling of a cw Nd:GdVO4 laser with lithium borate.

Efficient cw intracavity frequency doubling of a diode end-pumped Nd:GdVO4 laser that operates in the 4F(3/2) --> 4I(9/2) transition at 912 nm is demonstrated. A 15 mm long lithium borate crystal, cut for critical type I phase matching at room temperature, was used for second harmonic generation of the fundamental laser. A maximum output power of 14.8 W in the deep blue spectral range at 456 nm was achieved at an incident pump power of 40 W. In 2 h we achieved an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 37% with a better than 2.57% power stability.