Sub-50 fs diode-pumped SESAM mode-locked Yb:SrF₂ laser

We report on sub-50 fs pulse generation from a passively mode-locked Yb:SrF₂ laser pumped with a spatially single-mode, fiber-coupled laser diode at 976 nm. In the continuous-wave regime, the Yb:SrF₂ laser generated a maximum output power of 704 mW at 1048 nm with a threshold of 64 mW and a slope efficiency of 77.2%. A continuous wavelength tuning across 89 nm (1006 - 1095 nm) was achieved with a Lyot filter. By implementing a SEmiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror (SESAM) for initiating and sustaining the mode-locked operation, soliton pulses as short as 49 fs were generated at 1057 nm with an average output power of 117 mW at a pulse repetition rate of ∼75.9 MHz. The maximum average output power of the mode-locked Yb:SrF₂ laser was scaled up to 313 mW for slightly longer pulses of 70 fs at 1049.4 nm, corresponding to a peak power of 51.9 kW and an optical efficiency of 34.7%.