Short-pulse and high-repetition-rate diode-pumped Yb:CaF2 regenerative amplifier

We present a diode-pumped regenerative amplifier based on an Yb:CaF2 crystal optimized to produce short pulses for various repetition rates ranging from 100 Hz to 10 kHz. The shortest pulse duration generated is 178 fs, and the corresponding energy is 1.4 mJ before compression (620 mu J after), at a repetition rate of 500 Hz for 16 W of pump power. The bandwidth is 10 nm centered at 1040 nm. Higher repetition rate regimes have also been explored, allowing an optical-to-optical efficiency up to 10% at a high repetition rate. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America