Abstract
We present a mode-locked Yb:Lu2O3 laser with up to 67% of optical-to-optical efficiency. By utilizing a high brightness optically pumped semiconductor laser (OPSL) as a pump source and using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) we obtained self-starting mode locking. A pulse duration of 571 fs at 4.73 W of average output power with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 67% was achieved. In a slightly different cavity configuration the pulse duration was reduced to 313 fs at 2.16 W of average output power. In both cases the pulse duration was longer than the Fourier limit and the spectrum supports significantly shorter pulse durations. The laser wavelength is centered at 1034 nm and the repetition rate is 100.76 MHz in both cases. In continuous wave fundamental mode operation the optical-to-optical efficiency was as high as 78% with output powers exceeding 5 W.
Highlights
Providing a decent wavelength tuning range that allows to address the zero-phonon-line absorption peak of most Yb-doped materials
The laser experiments were performed in a ≈ 1.5 m long fundamental mode cavity formed by three concave mirrors with radii of R1 = 200 mm and R2,3 = 100 mm, and up to 8 plane GTI mirrors with a group delay dispersion (GDD) of − 550 fs[2] each
The pulse duration was determined by a Femtochrome FR-103XL autocorrelator and recorded using a Tektronix DPO 4104B 1 GHz oscilloscope
Summary
We report on the first OPSL-pumped mode-locked Yb-doped bulk laser with unprecedented efficiency in cw and pulsed operation. Using Yb:Lu2O3 as the gain material we achieved pulse durations as short as 313 fs with several watts of average output power at optical-to-optical efficiencies of up to 67%. At lower output coupler transmissions of 10% the laser threshold was reduced to 0.24 W of absorbed pump power.
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