High-repetition-rate 1.5 μm passively Q-switched Er:Yb:YAl3(BO3)4 microchip laser

End-pumped by a 976 nm diode laser, a high-repetition-rate Er:Yb:YAl3(BO3)(4) microchip laser passively Q-switched by a Co2+:MgAl2O4 crystal is reported. At a quasi-continuous-wave pump power of 20 W, a 1553 nm passively Q-switched laser with the repetition rate of 544 kHz, pulse duration of 8.3 ns, and pulse energy of 3.9 mu J was obtained. To the best of our knowledge, the 544 kHz is the highest reported value for the 1.5 mu m passively Q-switched pulse laser. In the continuous-wave pumping experiment, the maximum repetition rate of 144 kHz with the pulse duration of 8.0 ns and pulse energy of 1.7 mu J was obtained at the incident pump power of 6.3 W.

Automated summary

This study presents a high-repetition-rate Er:Yb:YAl3(BO3)(4) microchip laser end-pumped by a 976 nm diode laser, and passively Q-switched by a Co2+:MgAl2O4 crystal. A 1553 nm passively Q-switched laser with a repetition rate of 544 kHz, pulse duration of 8.3 ns, and pulse energy of 3.9 mu J was achieved. The highest reported repetition rate for 1.5 mu m passively Q-switched pulse laser up to date. In a continuous-wave pumping experiment, a maximum repetition rate of 144 kHz, pulse duration of 8.0 ns, and pulse energy of 1.7 mu J was obtained at an incident pump power of 6.3 W.