CW and passively Q-switching characteristics of a diode-end-pumped Nd:GGG laser at 1331 nm

In this paper, continuous wave (CW) and passive Q-switching characteristics of a diode-end-pumped Nd:GGG laser at 1331 nm have been demonstrated. The maximum CW output power of 2.08 W was obtained under the incident pump power of 11 W, and the maximum slope efficiency and optical-optical conversion efficiency were 20.5% and 19%, respectively. By using a V3+:YAG crystal with initial transmission of 94% as the saturable absorber, the maximum average output power of the passively Q-switched laser at 1331 nm was 460 mW, and the minimum pulse width of 19 ns and the repetition rate of 39 kHz were achieved, corresponding to pulse peak power of 0.62 kW and single pulse energy of 11.8 mu J, respectively. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.