Actively Q-switched Nd:YVO_(4) laser using an electro-optic periodically poled lithium niobate crystal as a laser Q-switch

摘要

We demonstrate a low-voltage and fast laser Q-switching by using an electro-optic periodically poled lithium niobate (EO PPLN) crystal. The half-wave voltage measured from the EO PPLN crystal was 0.36 V×d (μm)/L (cm), where d is the electrode separation and L is the electrode length. When a 13-mm-long EO PPLN was used as a laser Q switch at 7-kHz switching rate, we measured an ～12-ns pulse width and ～0.74-kW laser pulses at 1064-nm wavelength from a diode-pumped Nd:YVO_(4) laser with continuous 1.2-W pump power at 809-nm wavelength.