Mid-infrared Q-switched Er:YAG laser for medical applications

The 2.94 mu m Er:YAG laser Q-switched mechanically by a rotating mirror was developed. The laser generated pulses of 30 mJ energy and duration below 290 ns, which corresponds to over 100 kW peak power. It operated at the repetition rate of up to 25 Hz. To our knowledge it is the most powerful erbium laser operating at so high repetition rate. The developed laser can be successfully applied in medicine - e.g. in microsurgery of soft biological tissues.