Tm3+ doped yttrium gallium garnet (i.e., Tm:Y3Ga5O12, Tm:YGG) laser crystal was grown by an optical floating zone method. The optical properties of the Tm:YGG crystal was investigated. The absorption cross section and emission cross section were calculated based on the absorption spectra of the Tm:YGG. When pumped by a 795 nm laser diode, a continuous-wave Tm:YGG laser at 2 012.8 nm was realized at a threshold of 0.515 W, a slope efficiency of 9.9% and an optical conversion efficiency of 9.3%. The experimental results show that the Tm:YGG crystal is a potential material for the laser at 2 μm.
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