Title :
High-peak-power sub-nanosecond diode-pumped passively Q-switched microchip laser
Author :
Lan, Y.P. ; Wang, Stanley C. ; Chen, Y.F.
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Electro-Opt. Eng., Nat. Chiao Tung Univ., Hsinchu, Taiwan
Abstract :
The lower emission cross section of the c-cut Nd:YVO4 and Nd:GdVO4 crystals can enhance the passive Q-switching effect to produce a peak power 10 times higher than that obtained with the a-cut crystals. The studied performance of the resonator formed indicate that c-cut Nd:GdVO4 and Nd:YVO4 crystal are very convenient material for short pulse (sub-nanosecond) and high-peak power (>10 kW) lasers. It is demonstrated that at 2 W pump power, 17.8 μJ pulses of 0.85 ns duration at a pulse repetition rate of 13 kHz can be generated in the c-cut Nd:GdVO4 and 18 μJ pulses of 0.85 ns duration at a pulse repetition rate of 13.5 kHz at 2.4 W pump power in the c-cut Nd:YVO4. The main advantage of the crystals is the combination of its high absorption cross section, wide absorption bandwidth, and low intrinsic losses.
Keywords :
Q-switching; gadolinium compounds; microchip lasers; neodymium; optical materials; optical pulse generation; optical pumping; yttrium compounds; 0.85 ns; 13 kHz; 13.5 kHz; 17.8 muJ; 18 muJ; 2 W; 2.4 W; absorption bandwidth; absorption cross section; c-cut Nd:GdVO4 crystals; c-cut Nd:YVO4 crystals; intrinsic losses; passively Q-switched microchip laser; pulse repetition rate; subnanosecond diode-pumped microchip laser; Absorption; Crystalline materials; Crystals; Diodes; Microchip lasers; Optical materials; Optical pulse generation; Optical pulses; Power lasers; Pump lasers;
Conference_Titel :
Quantum Electronics Conference, 2003. EQEC '03. European
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7733-8
DOI :
10.1109/EQEC.2003.1314302
