SESAM mode-locking of a diode-pumped Yb:Ca₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ laser

We report on continuous-wave and passively mode-locked operation of a diode-pumped Yb:Ca₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ laser. In the continuous-wave regime, the laser delivered a maximum output power of 408 mW at 1045.5 nm, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 58.1% and a laser efficiency of 53.4%. By incorporating a quartz-based Lyot filter, a continuous wavelength tuning range of 82 nm, spanning from 1007 to 1089 nm, was achieved. In the mode-locked regime, a commercial semiconductor saturable absorber mirror was employed to initiate and sustain soliton-like pulse shaping, and pulses as short as 50 fs were generated at a central wavelength of 1052.4 nm, with an average output power of 40 mW at a pulse repetition rate of 73.9 MHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a mode-locked laser based on the Yb:Ca₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ langasite-type non-centrosymmetric crystal, highlighting its significant potential as a gain medium for sub-100 fs solid-state lasers.