Compact actively Q-switched Nd:YVO4/YVO4 Raman laser at 1525 nm with frequency up to 150 kHz

Abstract

We develop a compact high-frequency actively Q-switched Nd:YVO4/YVO4 Raman laser at 1525 nm. The mode size stability and the mode overlapping are numerically analyzed to craft the resonator. Experimental results reveal that the compact cavity and the cavity dumping effect lead to the considerable narrowing of the pulse width. In addition, the quality factor of the cavity is significantly strengthened by using the YVO4 Raman crystal with a dichroic coating to minimize the scattering and absorption losses for the Stokes wave. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of the gate-on time of the Q-switcher on the output performance. Under the optimal condition, the average output power can be generally greater than 4.2 W at the pump power of 26 W for the repetition rate within 50-150 kHz, and the corresponding optical efficiency higher than 16.1%. The maximum peak powers can reach 53 kW and 25 kW for the repetition rates of 50 kHz and 100 kHz, respectively.