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Compact picosecond mode-locked and cavity-dumped Nd:YVO4 laser
U Wegner1, J Meier, M J Lederer
1High Q Laser Innovation GmbH, Feldgut 9, A-6830, Rankweil, Austria.
Optics Express
|January 7, 2010
Summary
A novel picosecond diode-pumped neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO4) laser with cavity-dumping offers high average power and pulse energy. This compact laser is suitable for materials processing, potentially replacing complex systems.
Area of Science:
- Lasers and Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Mode-locked lasers are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
- High-power picosecond lasers are in demand for precise material processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact, high-power picosecond laser source.
- To investigate the performance of a cavity-dumped Nd:YVO4 oscillator.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a diode-pumped, semiconductor saturable absorber mirror mode-locked Nd:YVO4 oscillator.
- Implementing an electro-optic cavity dumper for controlled pulse extraction.
Main Results:
- Achieved 17W average power at 9.7MHz in continuous-wave (cw) mode-locking.
- Obtained 7.8W at 500kHz and 10W at 1MHz with cavity-dumping.
- Demonstrated pulse energies up to 15.6microJ with pulsewidths around 10 picoseconds.
Conclusions:
- The developed cavity-dumped Nd:YVO4 laser is a compact and efficient source.
- It presents a viable alternative to regenerative amplifiers and ultra-long resonator oscillators for materials processing.
