Abstract: In one embodiment, the instant invention is an optical structure that includes: an optical active medium of a solid state laser, where the optical active medium has a first coefficient of thermal expansion; and a protective structure that is directly cladded a portion of the optical active medium, where the protective structure has a second coefficient of thermal expansion which matches the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical active medium, and where the protective structure is transparent to a wavelength that is within an absorption band of the optical active medium so that the optical structure has: the optical active medium that is protected from a physical damage, and the optical active medium that is capable of generating a laser beam having a first energy that is larger than a second energy generated by a control optical structure having the optical active medium without the protective structure.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the instant invention is an optical structure that includes: an optical active medium of a solid state laser, where the optical active medium has a first coefficient of thermal expansion; and a protective structure that is directly cladded a portion of the optical active medium, where the protective structure has a second coefficient of thermal expansion which matches the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical active medium, and where the protective structure is transparent to a wavelength that is within an absorption band of the optical active medium so that the optical structure has: the optical active medium that is protected from a physical damage, and the optical active medium that is capable of generating a laser beam having a first energy that is larger than a second energy generated by a control optical structure having the optical active medium without the protective structure.

Abstract: A device for measuring optical power simultaneously for two or more spectral regions. Two or more photodetectors, such as photodiodes, measure the pulse energy and/or power emitted by a laser having output in two or more spectral regions. The laser radiation is transmitted through a diffuser or beamsplitter, then filtered and/or attenuated so that light from each respective spectral region is incident on the active region of a photodiode. The device also includes electronic circuitry with one or more operational amplifiers for each photodiode, integrators and analog-to-digital converters. In a preferred embodiment, the device also includes a microprocessor to provide noise reduction and calibration functions for each photodiode output, and to drive a display or readout.