Vanadate AFB® Components

AFB® YVO4 or GdVO4 components are extremely useful for higher power in YVO4-based laser systems. Undoped end-caps increase damage threshold by separating the pump input face with the lasing doped portion. Onyx produces slabs and rods with plano or spherical end faces.

Compared with their glass fiber counterparts, AFB® CFWs have the advantages of:


  • At least one order of magnitude lower SBS gain coefficient than silica or phosphate glass, which directly corresponds to at least a 10 fold increase in SBS threshold
  • The thermal conductivity of YAG is higher than glass, which mitigates the thermal lensing effect
  • Practicality of using a straight fiber for high power amplification due to a shorter fiber length, as large single mode area (LSMA) waveguides are realized through the specific design of the core, cladding widths, and materials
    • LSMA waveguides enable an increased upper limit of output lasing power


Please click here for more information about AFB® Crystalline Fiber Waveguide Components.


Waveguide AFB® Components

Architectures include three-layer designs with a YAG core with undoped YAG claddings, as well as five-layer designs with a secondary cladding of sapphire or spinel. We have manufactured waveguides with up to a 50mm width and 350mm length, although both smaller and larger dimensions fall within our manufacturing capability. Tolerances of λ/30 flatness over the core and dimensional tolerances down to +/- 0.001mm over the core are available.

In-Stock AFB® Components

Onyx manufactures a number of standard items that are available at a lower cost and are normally in-stock for immediate delivery. Please see our catalog of Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB®) Laser Components.

Microchip AFB® Components

AFB® microchips, especially in the form of Nd:YAG/Cr4+:YAG passively q-switched microchips have found a host of applications due to their compact size and the incorporation of both the lasing material and q-switch into a monolithic element. The approach minimizes system complexity and system size, and maximizes efficiency.

Onyx‘s AFB® Nd:YAG/Cr4+YAG microchips are available in two-layer configurations with the optional inclusion of additional undoped YAG layers. Specify your preference of Nd dopant, Cr4+ absorption, layer thicknesses, and surface finishes. External surface coatings are available.

Onyx‘s AFB® Nd:YVO4/Undoped YVO4 slabs are available with one end-cap or two-end cap geometries. Specify your preference of Nd dopant, segment lengths, and surface finishes. AR coatings (and others) are available for the end faces. Onyx also supplies custom fixturing tailored to your specific part dimensions.


Standard Adhesive-Free Bond (AFB®) Products


Slab, Disk, Rod AFB® Components
Onyx has product lines of various Slabs, Disks and Rod-based AFB® components.
Onyx‘s AFB® Yb:YAG/Sapphire and Yb:YAG/Undoped YAG disks are available in two-layer or three-layer configurations (one or two cladding layers, respectively). Specify your preference of Yb dopant, cladding type, layer thicknesses, and surface finishes. Both external surface and interface coatings are available.


AFB® Crystalline Fiber Waveguide Components
Onyx’s AFB® Crystalline Fiber Waveguides (CFWs) are comprised of a rare earth (RE) ion doped core (YAG host), an inner cladding, and an outer cladding. The RE-ion doped core provides amplification to the corresponding lasing wavelength, while the claddings restrict the transverse mode profile of the laser and/or pump beam. The size and materials of both the core and cladding can be flexibly engineered, providing a large mode area (LMA) under single-mode operation.