Patent ID: 7751457

Claim:
A laser-diode pumped solid-state laser apparatus, comprising: at least one laser diode producing a pumping laser light; at least one laser light generator comprising a monocrystalline substance doped with a dopant element and pumped with said pumping laser light from said at least one laser diode, said monocrystalline substance containing said dopant element with a concentration profile such that said dopant element increases a concentration thereof in a direction perpendicular to a laser oscillation direction gently in the form of a slope from a near zero concentration, wherein said monocrystalline substance is a plate-like crystal having a thickness direction in a laser oscillation direction, the crystal having two surfaces with widths greater than the thickness of the crystal, and wherein one surface is reflective and the other surface is transmissive; at least one mirror provided next to the transmissive surface of the crystal forming a cavity between the mirror and the reflective surface of the crystal; and at least one optical system comprising a plurality of lenses to inject said pumping laser light into the monocrystalline substance.