A solid-state laser is a laser that uses a gain medium that is a solid, rather than a liquid such as dye lasers or a gas such as gas lasers. Semiconductor-based lasers are also in the solid state, but are generally considered separately from solid-state lasers (see semiconductor laser). The range of sizes in which lasers exist is immense, extending from microscopic diode lasers (top) to football field sized neodymium glass lasers (bottom) used for inertial confinement fusion. ... Within a laser, the active laser medium is the material that exhibits optical gain. ... In jewelry, a solid gold piece is the alternative to gold-filled or gold-plated jewelry. ... A liquid will assume the shape of its container. ... A dye laser is a laser that uses an organic dye as a lasing medium, usually as a liquid solution. ... A gas is one of the four main phases of matter (after solid and liquid, and followed by plasma), that subsequently appear as a solid material is subjected to increasingly higher temperatures. ... The gas laser is a kind of laser in which some sort of gas (such as helium or neon) is discharged to produce the laser light. ... A semiconductor is a material with an electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. ... A laser diode is a laser where the active medium is a semiconductor p-n junction similar to that found in a light-emitting diode. ...

Generally, the medium will consist of a glass or crystalline host material to which is added a dopant such as neodymium, chromium, erbium, or other ions. Many of the common dopants are rare earth elements. This article refers to the material. ... Quartz crystal A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... A dopant is an impurity element added to a semiconductor lattice in quite low concentrations in order to alter the optical/electrical properties of the semiconductor. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neodymium, Nd, 60 Chemical series lanthanides Group, Period, Block ?, 6, f Appearance silvery white, yellowish tinge Atomic mass 144. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 51. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Erbium, Er, 68 Chemical series Lanthanides Group, Period, Block NA, 6, f Density, Hardness 9066 kg/m3, ND Appearance silvery white Atomic properties Atomic weight 167. ... Rare earth ore The rare earth elements are a relatively abundant group of 17 chemical elements (see Periodic Table) composed of scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides. ...

There are many hundreds of solid-state media in which laser action has been achieved, but relatively few types are in widespread use.

See also

• Laser construction
• List of laser types

A laser system generally consists of three important parts: An energy source (usually referred to as the pump or pump source); A gain medium or laser medium; A mirror, or system of mirrors, forming an optical resonator. ... An immense slab of continuous melt processed neodymium doped laser glass for use on the National Ignition Facility. ...

References

• Koechner, William (1999). Solid-State Laser Engineering, 5th ed., Springer. ISBN 3540650644.