PassiveQswitches for a diode-pumped erbium glass laser

A diode-pumped, passively Q-switched 1.54-μm erbium glass laser is studied. Zinc selenide (ZnSe) crystals doped with Co2+ and Cr2+ ions and magnesium—aluminium spinel (MgAl2O4) crystals doped with Co2+ ions were used as saturable absorbers in Q switches. It is shown that, depending on the type of a saturable absorber, the pump power, and the resonator design, the laser pulse energy can vary from 0.2 to 13 μJ, the pulse duration from 16 to 980 ns, and the pulse repetition rate from 0.1 to 30 kHz.