High-power efficient diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd : YVO4/KTP/Cr4+ : YAG eye-safe laser

Abstract

A high-power efficient eye-safe laser is experimentally realized by using an intracavity optical parametric oscillators of a diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YVO4/Cr4+ :YAG laser. Considering the thermal lensing effects, the cavity length was designed to allow mode matching with the pump beam and to provide the proper spot size in the saturable absorber. With an incident pump power of 14.5 W, the compact intracavity OPO cavity, operating at 58.5 kHz, produces average powers at 1573 nm up to 1.56 W and peak powers higher than 5 kW. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.