In a preferred embodiment, a Tm.sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal and a Ho. sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal are placed within a reflective path of a laser cavity for intracavity pumping the Ho.sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal. The Tm. sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal emits a substantially 2.0 &mgr;m laser emission after being resonantly end-pumped by a pump beam at a wavelength of about 785 nm and the substantially 2.0 &mgr;m laser emission is used to pump the Ho.sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal. The intracavity-pumped Ho.sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal emits an output laser emission at substantially 2.1 . mu.m. The slope efficiency of the Ho.sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal output power is about 40% of the pump power absorbed by the Tm.sup.3+ :YAG laser crystal.
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