Multi-watt passively Q-switched Yb:YAB/Cr:YAG microchip lasers

Josep Maria Serres; Pavel A. Loiko; Xavier Mateos; Junhai Liu; Huaijing Zhang; Konstantin Yumashev; Uwe Griebner; Valentin Petrov; Magdalena Aguiló; Francesc Díaz

doi:10.1117/12.2253682

17 February 2017 Multi-watt passively Q-switched Yb:YAB/Cr:YAG microchip lasers

Josep Maria Serres, Pavel A. Loiko, Xavier Mateos, Junhai Liu, Huaijing Zhang, Konstantin Yumashev, Uwe Griebner, Valentin Petrov, Magdalena Aguiló, Francesc Díaz

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10082, Solid State Lasers XXVI: Technology and Devices; 100820T (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2253682
Event: SPIE LASE, 2017, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

A trigonal 5.6 at.% Yb:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ (Yb:YAB) crystal is employed in continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched microchip lasers pumped by a diode at 978 nm. Using a 3 mm-thick, c-cut Yb:YAB crystal, which has a higher pump absorption efficiency, efficient CW microchip laser operation is demonstrated. This laser generated a maximum output power of 7.18 W at 1041–1044 nm with a slope efficiency η of 67% (with respect to the absorbed pump power) and an almost diffraction-limited beam, M² _x,y < 1.1. Inserting a Cr:YAG saturable absorber, stable passive Q-switching of the Yb:YAB microchip laser was obtained. The maximum average output power from the Yb:YAB/Cr:YAG laser reached 2.82 W at 1042 nm with η = 53% and a conversion efficiency with respect to the CW mode of 65% (when using a 0.7 mm-thick Cr:YAG). The latter corresponded to a pulse duration and energy of 7.1 ns / 47 μJ at a pulse repetition rate (PRR) of 60 kHz. Using a 1.3 mm-thick Cr:YAG, 2.02 W were achieved at 1041 nm corresponding to η = 38%. The pulse characteristics were 4.9 ns / 83 μJ at PRR = 24.3 kHz and the maximum peak power reached 17 kW. Yb:YAB crystals are very promising for compact sub-ns power-scalable microchip lasers.

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Josep Maria Serres, Pavel A. Loiko, Xavier Mateos, Junhai Liu, Huaijing Zhang, Konstantin Yumashev, Uwe Griebner, Valentin Petrov, Magdalena Aguiló, and Francesc Díaz "Multi-watt passively Q-switched Yb:YAB/Cr:YAG microchip lasers", Proc. SPIE 10082, Solid State Lasers XXVI: Technology and Devices, 100820T (17 February 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2253682

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