Passively Q-switched microchip Er, Yb:YAl3(BO3)4 diode-pumped laser

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, a diode-pumped cw and passively Q-switched microchip Er, Yb:YAl3(BO3)(4) laser. A maximal output power of 800 mW at 1602 nm in the cw regime was obtained at an absorbed pump power of 7.7 W. By using Co2+:MgAl2O4 as a saturable absorber, a TEM00-mode Q-switched average output power of 315 mW was demonstrated at 1522 nm, with pulse duration of 5 ns and pulse energy of 5.25 mu J at a repetition rate of 60 kHz. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America