Title :
Multi-millijoule, high-repetition-rate Q-switched Nd-doped vanadate laser with an AlGaInAs quantum-well saturable absorber
Author :
Huang, Y.P. ; Huang, Y.J. ; Chiang, P.Y. ; Chen, Y.F. ; Huang, K.F.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electrophys., Nat. Chiao Tung Univ., Hsinchu, Taiwan
Abstract :
We develop an AlGaInAs periodic quantum-well (QW) device with a large modulation strength to severs as a saturable absorber in a QCW diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser. The saturation transmission of the AlGaInAs QW saturable absorber was measured with a nanosecond 1064-nm Q-switched laser as the excitation source. Measured result indicates that AlGaInAs QW device has a much larger absorption cross section than that of Cr4+:YAG crystal to be an appropriate absorber for passively Q-switching Nd:YVO4 lasers. Stable Q-switched pulses with a pulse energy of 3.5 mJ and a peak power of >;1 MW were generated at a pump energy of 34 mJ. The fluctuation of the output pulse energy at a repetition rate of 200 Hz was found to be less than ±2%.
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; Q-switching; aluminium compounds; gallium arsenide; indium compounds; laser beams; neodymium; optical modulation; optical pumping; optical saturable absorption; quantum well devices; solid lasers; yttrium compounds; AlGaInAs; Nd-doped vanadate laser; YVO4:Nd; absorption cross section; diode-pumping; energy 3.5 mJ; energy 34 mJ; excitation source; frequency 200 Hz; modulation strength; multimillijoule high-repetition-rate Q-switched laser; passively Q-switching lasers; periodic quantum-well device; pulse energy; pulse repetition rate; pulse stability; pump energy; quantum-well saturable absorber; saturation transmission; wavelength 1064 nm; Crystals; Laser excitation; Measurement by laser beam; Optimized production technology; Pump lasers; Quantum cascade lasers;
Conference_Titel :
Photonics Global Conference (PGC), 2010
Conference_Location :
Singapore
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-9882-6
DOI :
10.1109/PGC.2010.5706033
