Low-cost cavity-dumped femtosecond Cr:LiSAF laser producing >100 nJ pulses

We report a low-cost cavity-dumped Cr:colquiriite laser for generating enhanced pulse energies. Four single-mode laser diodes were used to pump a Cr:LiSAF laser, which was mode locked with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. Cavity dumping at 10 kHz repetition rate, the laser generated approximately 120 fs pulses at approximately 825 nm, with 112 nJ pulse energies and approximately 0.93 MW of peak power, using only approximately 600 mW of incident pump power. At higher dumping rates of up to 1 MHz, reduced pulse energies of 62 nJ could be generated. Two-photon absorption in the saturable absorber mirror limits pulse durations, while Q-switching instabilities limit pulse energy extraction.