Abstract
Yb:YAG is an attractive gain medium for diode-pumped lasers by virtue of its large absorption bandwidth, low heat generation, and long upper state lifetime compared with Nd:YAG.1,2 In particular, the long upper state lifetime is attractive for Q-switched lasers because of the possibility of large energy storage. There are two important issues that must be considered in building Q-switched Yb3+ lasers. The first is that these lasers are quasi-three level at room temperature; however, models have shown that efficient quasi-three level lasers are possible.3 The second issue is that the gain cross section in Yb:YAG is low, 1.8 × 10−20 cm2, leading to high saturation fluence, −10 J/cm2, which can cause damage in short pulse operation. Here, we report a demonstration of what we believe is the first Q-switched Yb3+ laser.
© 1992 Optical Society of America
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