Abstract

Eye safe, single resonant intracavity optical parametric oscillators (IOPO) offer higher conversion efficiencies and reduced thresholds for a given pump energy comparing to other types of eye safe lasers. Moreover due to their fast build up time mechanism significant decrease of signal pulse duration with respect to performance of laser optimized for Q-switched operation is possible. Above 8 mJ with 5 ns at 1572 nm was demonstrated in IOPO based on lamp pumped electro-optically Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.¹ The 1.5 mJ energy, 3.4 ns pulse duration was achieved" in passively Q-switched Nd:YAG diode side pumped laser with diode pump power of 600 W. The shortest pulse duration of 1.6 ns with 0.12 mj energy was achieved in the end pumped Nd:YAG laser with 80 W of diode pump power.⁵

© 2002 Optical Society of America