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Crystal materials for research & OEM instruments
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Laser Crystals

Er:YAG Laser Crystal

Er:YAG laser crystal, also known as erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, is a solid-state laser gain medium used for emission around 2940 nm. This wavelength is strongly absorbed by water, making Er:YAG suitable for medical lasers, dental systems, dermatology equipment, and precision surface-treatment applications where controlled ablation is required. ATR Crystal supplies custom Er:YAG rods and slabs with selectable erbium concentration, orientation, optical polishing, AR coating, surface quality, and dimensional tolerances for prototype and OEM laser systems.

Configuration & inquiry

Built around your specification

Dopant concentration
20at% and 50at%
Orientation
[100] within 5 degrees
Wavefront distortion
<= 0.125 lambda/inch at 1064 nm
Optical quality
Interference fringes <= 0.125/inch

Final specifications and acceptance criteria are confirmed for the quoted configuration.

Request a quotation
01

Overview

Er:YAG Laser Crystal for 2940 nm Medical and Dental Lasers

Er:YAG laser crystal, also known as erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, is a solid-state laser gain medium used for emission around 2940 nm. This mid-infrared wavelength is strongly absorbed by water, which makes Er:YAG crystal widely used in medical lasers, dental lasers, dermatology systems, aesthetic laser equipment, and precise surface ablation research.

ATR Crystal supplies Er:YAG crystals in rod, slab, and custom geometries for research, prototype development, and OEM laser systems. Dopant concentration, crystal orientation, dimensions, polishing, coating, surface quality, and inspection requirements can be reviewed according to your cavity design, pump configuration, cooling method, and output target.

For related laser materials, review our laser crystal category, Nd:YAG laser crystal, Yb:YAG laser crystal, Cr:YAG passive Q-switch crystal, and Nd:YVO4 laser crystal.

Er:YAG is selected for 2940 nm laser systems where water absorption, surface ablation or medical laser performance is the main requirement. If you are comparing Er:YAG with Nd:YAG, Yb:YAG or other laser crystals for a custom project, review our laser crystal selection guide before finalizing the specification.

Advantages of Er:YAG Laser Crystal

  • 2940 nm emissionEr:YAG emits near 2940 nm, a wavelength strongly absorbed by water and widely used in medical, dental, and surface ablation laser systems.
  • Stable YAG hostThe YAG host provides good mechanical strength, thermal behavior, and mature processing routes for solid-state laser components.
  • Custom Er doping20at% and 50at% Er doping options can be reviewed according to cavity design, pump conditions, and target output.
  • Rod and slab formatsRods, slabs, and drawing-defined geometries can be supplied for different pump layouts and thermal designs.
  • Coating supportAR coating at 2940 nm and other coating requirements can be discussed according to your optical design.
  • Engineering reviewOrientation, tolerance, surface quality, flatness, coating, damage threshold, and acceptance criteria can be reviewed before production.
02

Specifications

Specifications of Er:YAG Laser Crystal

The following values are typical Er:YAG laser crystal specifications for engineering review. Final specifications should be confirmed according to drawing, coating, quantity, and test requirements.

Parameter Typical Value / Option
Dopant concentration 20at% and 50at%
Orientation [100] within 5 degrees
Wavefront distortion <= 0.125 lambda/inch at 1064 nm
Optical quality Interference fringes <= 0.125/inch
Extinction ratio Dia. 3-6.35 mm: >= 28 dB; dia. 7-10 mm: >= 25 dB
Rod size Dia. 3-10 mm x 30-180 mm length
Slab size 3-12 mm x 6-24 mm x 60-180 mm length
Custom size Available upon customer request
Diameter tolerance +0.00/-0.05 mm
Length tolerance +/-0.5 mm; chamfer <0.15 +/-0.05 mm at 45 degrees
Parallelism <= 10 arcsec
Perpendicularity <= 5 arcmin
Flatness lambda/10 at 632.8 nm
Surface quality 10-5, MIL-O-13830A
AR coating reflectivity <= 0.25% at 2940 nm
Damage threshold >= 500 MW/cm2, 10 ns, 1 Hz at 1064 nm

Typical physical and laser properties of Er:YAG crystal.

Property Typical Value
Crystal structure Cubic
Lattice parameter 12.01 A
Melting point Approx. 1970 C
Mohs hardness 8.5
Density 4.56 +/- 0.04 g/cm3
Specific heat Approx. 0.59 J/(g K), 0-20 C
Thermal expansion coefficient [100] direction: 8.2 x 10-6/C, 0-250 C
Thermal conductivity 14 W/(m K) at 20 C; 10.5 W/(m K) at 100 C
Laser transition 4I11/2 to 4I13/2
Laser wavelength 2940 nm
Emission cross section Approx. 3 x 10-20 cm2
Index of refraction Approx. 1.79 at 2940 nm

Er:YAG vs. Related Laser Crystals

Er:YAG is selected when the laser design needs emission around 2940 nm and strong water absorption. Other laser crystals may be more suitable when the target wavelength, pump source, output power, pulse format, or Q-switching design is different.

Crystal Role Key Wavelength / Range Best Fit
Er:YAG Gain medium 2940 nm Medical, dental, aesthetic, and water-absorption laser systems
Nd:YAG Gain medium 1064 nm class Mature CW, pulsed, and Q-switched solid-state lasers
Yb:YAG Gain medium 1030 nm class High-power diode-pumped and ultrafast laser systems
Nd:YVO4 Gain medium 1064 / 1342 / 914 nm class Compact diode-pumped lasers requiring high absorption and gain
Cr:YAG Passive Q-switch About 950-1100 nm absorption range Passive Q-switched Nd or Yb laser cavities
Ti:Sapphire Tunable gain medium About 660-1050 nm tuning range Ultrafast and broadly tunable laser systems
03

Applications

Applications of Er:YAG Crystal

  • Medical laser systems for controlled tissue ablation

  • Dental laser systems and hard-tissue interaction research

  • Dermatology, aesthetic, and skin resurfacing equipment

  • 2940 nm mid-infrared solid-state laser sources

  • Water-absorption surface processing and ablation studies

  • Research laser cavities, prototypes, and OEM gain modules

Design Notes for 2940 nm Er:YAG Lasers

For Er:YAG laser systems, the crystal specification should be matched to the pump design, cavity length, cooling method, output coupling, pulse format, and coating requirements. The 2940 nm wavelength is useful where water absorption is important, but final laser performance also depends on thermal loading, beam quality, resonator design, and system-level safety control.

Before production, confirm dopant concentration, orientation, rod or slab size, end-face flatness, surface quality, AR coating, damage threshold, and acceptance testing conditions. For OEM systems, drawings and cavity requirements are usually needed for accurate quotation.

04

Ordering

How to Request an Er:YAG Crystal Quotation

Providing the following information helps reduce repeated communication and makes the quotation more accurate.

RFQ Item Information to Provide
Material requirement Er:YAG dopant concentration, target wavelength, and application.
Geometry Rod diameter and length, slab dimensions, chamfer, or complete drawing.
Orientation and tolerance Crystal orientation, dimensional tolerance, parallelism, perpendicularity, and flatness.
Surface and coating Surface quality, polishing, AR coating at 2940 nm, or custom coating requirement.
Laser design Pump source, operating mode, pulse requirement, cavity design, cooling method, and expected output.
Order information Prototype quantity, batch quantity, inspection criteria, delivery schedule, and packaging requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Er:YAG crystal used for?
Er:YAG crystal is used as a 2940 nm solid-state laser gain medium. Common applications include medical lasers, dental lasers, dermatology systems, aesthetic laser equipment, and water-absorption surface processing research.
Why is the 2940 nm wavelength important?
The 2940 nm wavelength is strongly absorbed by water, so Er:YAG is often selected for applications where controlled interaction with water-containing materials is required.
What Er:YAG dopant concentrations are available?
Typical Er:YAG dopant concentrations include 20at% and 50at%. The suitable option depends on cavity design, pump conditions, and output requirements.
Can ATR Crystal supply custom Er:YAG rods and slabs?
Yes. ATR Crystal can review custom Er:YAG rods, slabs, coatings, orientation, tolerances, and optical quality requirements according to drawings and laser cavity specifications.
What information is needed for an Er:YAG quotation?
Please provide dopant concentration, dimensions, orientation, surface quality, coating requirement, quantity, application, pump design, and any drawing or acceptance criteria.
What should be checked when ordering an Er:YAG replacement rod?

Provide the original drawing or a clearly labelled set of measurements, plus the Er concentration, pump source, coating specification and cooling arrangement if known. Matching the external diameter and length does not establish optical equivalence. Ask the quotation to identify any proposed difference from the original component and any specification that remains unconfirmed.

Does an Er:YAG crystal specification guarantee the pulse energy of a laser?

No. A crystal is one component of the laser system. For an output requirement, provide the pump conditions, cavity arrangement, output coupling, cooling and intended pulse operation. Keep component acceptance criteria separate from system output targets, and agree how any requested performance measurement would be carried out before treating it as a delivery requirement.

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Er:YAG Laser Crystal