We present the workflow of the design, realization and testing of deformable mirrors suitable for high power diode pumped solid-state lasers. It starts with the study of the aberration to be corrected, and then it continues with the design of the actuators position and characteristic. In this paper, we present and compare three deformable mirrors realized for multi-J level laser facilities. We show that with the same design concept it is possible to realize deformable mirrors for other types of lasers. As an example, we report the realization of a deformable mirror for femtosecond lasers and for a CW CO2 laser.Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic (project HiLASE: CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0027, project DPSSLasers: CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0143). This research was partially supported by the grant RVO 68407700.

Further advancement of high-energy pulsed lasers requires a parallel development of appropriate optical components. Several different optical components, such as mirrors and antireflection-coated windows, which are essential for the design of HiLASE high average power lasers were tested. The following paper summarizes results on the measurements of laser-induced damage threshold of such components, and clearly shows their capabilities and limitations for such a demanding application.This work is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic (project HiLASE: CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0027, project DPSSLasers: CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0143, project Postdok: CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0057). This research was partially supported by the grant RVO 68407700.

We present the results of performance modeling of a diode-pumped solid-state HiLASE laser designed for use in inertial fusion energy power plants. The main amplifier concept is based on a He-gas-cooled multi-slab architecture similar to that employed in Mercury laser system. Our modeling quantifies the reduction of thermally induced phase aberrations and average depolarization in Yb3C:YAG slabs by a combination of helium cryogenic cooling and properly designed (doping/width) cladding materials.