Robert D. Stultz

Short pulse, high-repetition rate, passively Q-switched Er:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser at 1.6 microns

We have demonstrated a continuously pumped, passively Q-switched, 1617 nm Er:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser oscillator with a pulse width of just under 7 ns, a pulse repetition frequency of about 4 kHz, and an output power of 0.9 W. The oscillator was pumped using an Er:fiber laser at 1534 nm, and Q switched using a Cr2+:ZnSe saturable absorber. The Er:YAG laser is useful either stand-alone, or as the master oscillator in a master-oscillator-power-amplifier architecture.

Diode-Pumped, Passively Q-Switched, 10 Hz Eyesafe Er:Yb:Glass Laser

Pulses of 0.25 millijoules, 28 nanoseconds, at greater than 10 Hz repetition rate, have been obtained using diode-pumped Er:Yb:glass and a U:CaF2 passive Q-switch.

Saturable absorbed Er:YAG Q-switched laser with short pulse

We demonstrate passively Q switched 2% doped Er:YAG laser operation in the eyesafe region with sub 5 nsec pulse widths using Cr2+:ZnSe as a saturable absorber. A rod geometry operating in the burst mode and a micro slab geometry operating continuously are described. The micro slab geometry generates 6nsec passively Q switched pulses with over 1.5 Watt of output power and with multi kilohertz pulse repetition rates. The lasers are resonantly pumped with a 1534nm fiber laser.