Solid state lasers are laser systems that generate laser beams through the use of a solid gain medium. A gain medium is the source of light and mechanism of light amplification within all laser equipment. Solid gain media are often composite crystals doped with rare-earth ions like neodymium, ytterbium and erbium.Lasers are used in a variety of contexts spanning across industry and commerce.
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In the context of solid state laser gain media chemistry, doping is the insertion of an additive (called a dopant) into a substance to change its electrical or optical properties. Yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG lasers) combination crystals are commonly-used gain media, as are silicate and phosphate media. Industries utilizing solid state lasers for laser treatment include some consumer services, particularly in the medical, dental and beauty care industries. Some defense contractors have investigated the efficacy of solid state lasers as weapons on fighter jets, and some models are reported to be nearly operational. Northrop-Grumman's 100 Kilowatt laser, for example, can create a focal point that has been compared to the surface of the sun in terms of its heat generation capability. Other more innocuous uses for solid state lasers usually involve light industrial processes like sheet metal cutting, engraving, etching and welding.
Laser equipment can be described, in the simplest terms, as high-intensity flashlights. Flashlights generate light by electrifying filaments or gasses, as do laser systems. Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Rather than heating a filament or exciting mercury vapor, lasers use electricity to excite the electrons of gain media. This process of stimulating electrons causes the electrons to emit radiation in the form of photons; humans experience this radiation as light. The photons released by the gain media electrons are directed by several strategically placed mirrors within the amplification enclosure. They leave the enclosure through a series of lenses that focus them at a point called the focal point. The focal point is where the heat caused by the amplification and focusing of the light is the strongest. It is at this point where materials that will be cut or otherwise treated by the laser are placed. The kind of light produced, its intensity and its properties depend on the gain media, the chemical composition of the mirrors and lenses, the strength of the power source and the distance between the work piece and the laser's focal point.
