Performance of an actively Q-switched Er~(3+):Yb~(3+):YVO_4 laser

摘要

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, an acousto-optic Q-switched Er~(3+):Yb~(3+):YVO_4 laser end-pumped by a fiber-coupled diode laser at 976 nm. A maximum continuous wave output power of 230 mW at 1602.6 nm was obtained with an output coupler of 2% transmission under an absorbed pump power of 7.2 W. In Q-switched operation, a wide range of repetition rates from 500 Hz to 50 kHz was demonstrated. 0.19 mJ maximum pulse energy with 130 ns pulse duration was obtained at a repetition rate of 500 Hz. A reduced storage time of the upper laser level was discovered, which was suggested to be a result of up-conversion loss.