Self-Q-switched and mode-locked 946 nm Cr,Nd:YAG laser

Abstract

A simultaneous self-Q-switched and mode-locked diode-pumped 946nm laser by using a Cr,Nd:YAG crystal as gain medium as well as saturable absorber is demonstrated for the first time as we know. The maximum average output power of 751mW with a slope efficiency of 18.38% is obtained at an intra-cavity average peak power intensity of 4.83×106W/cm2. Under this circumstance, the repetition rate of Q-switched envelopes is 9.63kHz and the pulse width is about 460ns. Almost 100% mode-locked modulation depth is obtained at all time in the experiment process whether the incident pump power is low or high. The repetition rate of mode-locked pulses within a Q-switched envelope is 135.13MHz and the mode-locked pulse width is within 600ps. The laser produces high-quality pulses in TEM00-mode in the simultaneous self-Q-switched and mode-locked experiment.