Diode-pumped, actively internal-Q-switched Nd:MgO:PPLN laser

We demonstrated a laser-diode-pumped, electro-optically internal-Q-switched laser system radiating at 1.085 mum fabricated using a periodically poled Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 (Nd:MgO:PPLN) crystal. The Nd:MgO:PPLN is 17-mm long and has a 12-mm long, 13.6-mum period polarization-mode quasi-phase-matching (PM QPM) grating section functioning as the Q-switch of the laser system. When the Nd:MgO:PPLN Q-switch was driven by a 260-V voltage pulse train at 5 kHz, we obtained laser pulses of pulse energy >2.45 muJ and a pulse width of ~28 ns, corresponding to a laser peak power of ~88 W, from this internal-Q-switched laser system with 2% output coupling at an absorbed diode pump power of 0.61 W.