Diode-pumped continuous-wave Yb:YVO₄ laser with a broad tuning range of 986 to 1119 nm

We present a diode-pumped continuous-wave (CW) Yb:YVO₄ laser exhibiting wavelength tunability from 986 nm to 1119 nm, corresponding to a broad tuning range of 133 nm, one of the widest reported for any Yb-doped laser host. This performance was achieved by employing a low-loss, off-surface optic-axis birefringent filter, high-quality laser crystals, and optimized low-loss cavity optics, enabling smooth and stable wavelength tuning along both principal polarization axes (E//a: 986-1084 nm and E//c: 995-1119 nm). The system delivers CW output powers up to 3.75 W, with slope and optical-to-optical efficiencies reaching 70% and 48%, respectively. These results highlight Yb:YVO₄ as an attractive gain medium for applications requiring broad tunability, compactness, and efficiency, such as ultrafast pulse generation, broadband spectroscopy, and high-energy amplifier seeding.