· Solid-state Lasers
Solid-state lasers use solid materials such as glass rods or slabs as the active medium. These materials are doped with impurities in the form of ions to alter their electrical and optical properties. The pumping source is light energy from laser diodes, arc lamps, or flash tubes. When these ions interact with light, they get excited to higher energy levels.
Furthermore, the most common materials experts use as the gain medium includes Ruby, Neodymium-doped YAG, and Neodymium-doped glass. Solid-state lasers are robust and compact with a wide range of wavelengths. This laser generates short and high-power pulses. For this reason, one will find solid-state lasers in many applications across different industries.