High-power high-repetition-rate subpicosecond monolithic Yb:KGW laser with self-mode locking

Abstract

We report on a high-power subpicosecond monolithic self-mode-locked Yb:KGW laser with the pulse repetition rate up to several tens of gigahertz. Experimental results reveal that not only the repetition rate but also the pulse width depend on the length of the laser crystal. Using a coated Yb:KGW crystal with a length of 3.36 mm, mode-locked pulses with pulse duration of 850 fs at the repetition rate of 22.4 GHz have been achieved. With an incident pump power of 10.5 W, an average output power of 3.6 W was achieved which corresponds to the optical conversion efficiency of 34.3%. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America