Proceedings Article | 1 February 2007
Proc. SPIE. 6599, Laser Technology VIII: Progress in Lasers
KEYWORDS: Continuous wave operation, Resonators, High power lasers, Crystals, Semiconductor lasers, Laser resonators, Laser crystals, Q switched lasers, Laser metrology, Pulsed laser operation
Two 3x3x10 mm3 0.3% at. Nd:YVO4 rods, end pumped by a pair of 25-W CW high power fiber coupled laser diodes,
were employed in the efficient laser based on the V-type resonator scheme. A high slope efficiency, the mitigation of the
thermo-optic effects as well as optimization of energetic and spatial parameters of the laser beam for the whole range of
pump power were demonstrated in such a laser operating in acousto-optic Q-switching regime. The pulses of 180-&mgr;J
energy and 20-ns pulse duration up to 100-kHz repetition rate have been obtained. The pulse energy decreases and
duration grows up with the increase in pulse repetition rate. The average output power of 14 W for CW regime and 10 W
for Q -switching mode were accomplished for the maximum pump power. Brightness and high peak power of this laser
are satisfactory to achieve efficient nonlinear conversions (generation of higher harmonics, pumping of optical
parametric oscillators, etc.). The electronically controlled, wide range of pulse energy, high peak power in a near TEM00
mode characterizes the constructed laser. Due to energetic and spatial parameters, obtained in CW and Q-switched
regimes, this laser can be used in the following disciplines: medicine, marking and material processing, laser metrology,
range-finding, pointing and illuminating of targets, etc.
