940 nm laser diode pumped ultrashort pulsed laser with a Yb:YAG single-crystal rod

Abstract A Yb:YAG single-crystal rod (SCR) with great optical properties was successfully grown based on the laser-heated pedestal growth (LHPG) method, and its laser characteristics were comprehensively studied. Pumped by a 940 nm laser diode, the output power of the continuous-wave (CW) laser was 3.72 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 44.3%. The continuous tuning range of the Yb:YAG SCR was 22 nm. In addition, a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) was used to realize the passively mode-locked Yb:YAG SCR laser. Operating at 1049.5 nm, the laser oscillator had a 1.6 ps pulse width with a repetition rate of 54.5 MHz.