Diode-pumped passively mode-locked multiwatt Nd:GdVO4 laser with a saturable Bragg reflector

Enhancement of passively Q-switched performance at 1.34 μm with a class of Nd:GdxY(1-)xVO(4) crystals

Passively Q-switched operation at 1.34 μm in which V:YAG was employed as saturable absorber has been demonstrated with a series of mixed Nd:GdxY(1-)xVO(4) crystals. The Q-switched laser pulse performance with these Nd-doped mixed vanadate crystals, especially Nd:Gd(0.63)Y(0.37)VO(4), was enhanced in respect to Nd:GdVO(4) under the identical conditions. The average output power of 171.3 mW with the shortest pulse width of 44.4 ns, largest single pulse energy of 21.7 μJ, and highest peak power of 489 W at the incident pump power of 5.04 W were obtained with Nd:Gd(0.63)Y(0.37)VO(4) crystal.

Continuous-wave laser performance of Nd:LuVO4 crystal operating at 1.34 microm

A laser-diode-array end-pumped Nd:LuVO4 crystal continuous-wave (cw) laser operating at 1.34 microm has been demonstrated. The maximum cw output power of 1.85 W was obtained at the incident pump power of 17 W for a c-cut 0.5 at. % Nd-doped LuVO4 crystal sample, giving the corresponding optical conversion efficiency of 10.88% and a slope efficiency of 13.5%. Laser experiments of Nd3+ concentration of 0.5 and 0.9 at. % a-cut crystal LuVO4 samples were also investigated; due to the strong excited-state absorption of Nd:LuVO4 at 1.34 microm, the output power was limited.

4-ps passively mode-locked Nd:Gd0.5Y0.5VO4 laser with a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror

We have demonstrated a passively mode-locked diode end-pumped all-solid-state laser, which is composed of a Nd:Gd0.5Y0.5VO4 crystal and a folded cavity with a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror grown by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition. Stable cw mode locking with a 3.8-ps pulse duration at a repetition rate of 112 MHz was obtained. At 13.6 W of the incident pump power, a clean mode-locked fundamental-mode average output power of 3.9 W was achieved with an overall optical-to-optical efficiency of 29.0%, and the slope efficiency was 38.1%.