Abstract

We report passively mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF lasers that use an antiresonant Fabry–Perot saturable absorber. For Nd:YLF at 1047 nm, we achieved pulses of 5.1 ps FWHM with 225 mW of average power. For Nd:YAG at 1064 nm, we achieved pulse widths of 8.7 ps with 100 mW of average power. Both lasers ran at a repetition rate of 100 MHz. The frequency stability of the free-running lasers was sufficient to allow locking of the laser repetition rate to a synthesizer by using a phase-lock-loop feedback system.

© 1993 Optical Society of America

Diode-pumped 100-fs passively mode-locked Cr:LiSAF laser with an antiresonant Fabry–Perot saturable absorber

D. Kopf, K. J. Weingarten, L. R. Brovelli, M. Kamp, and U. Keller
Opt. Lett. 19(24) 2143-2145 (1994)

Solid-state low-loss intracavity saturable absorber for Nd:YLF lasers: an antiresonant semiconductor Fabry–Perot saturable absorber

U. Keller, D. A. B. Miller, G. D. Boyd, T. H. Chiu, J. F. Ferguson, and M. T. Asom
Opt. Lett. 17(7) 505-507 (1992)

Diode-pumped mode-locked Nd:glass lasers with an antiresonant Fabry–Perot saturable absorber

D. Kopf, F. X. Kärtner, U. Keller, and K. J. Weingarten
Opt. Lett. 20(10) 1169-1171 (1995)

Design and operation of antiresonant Fabry–Perot saturable semiconductor absorbers for mode-locked solid-state lasers

L. R. Brovelli, U. Keller, and T. H. Chiu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12(2) 311-322 (1995)

Self-starting and self-Q-switching dynamics of passively mode-locked Nd:YLF and Nd:YAG lasers

U. Keller, T. H. Chiu, and J. F. Ferguson
Opt. Lett. 18(3) 217-219 (1993)