The characteristics of Kerr-lens mode-locked self-Raman Nd:YVO4 1176Â nm laser

In this paper we report on a compact and feasible dual-concave cavity CW Kerr-lens mode-locked self-Raman Nd:YVO4 laser. A self-starting diode-pumped picosecond Nd:YVO4 1176 nm laser is demonstrated without any additional components, where the stimulated Stokes Raman scattering and Kerr-lens-induced mode locking are operated in the same crystal. With an incident pump power of 12 W, the average output power at 1176 nm is up to 643 mW. Meanwhile, the repetition rate and the pulse width of the fundamental laser are measured to be 1.53 GHz and 8.6 ps, respectively. In addition, the yellow laser output at 588 nm is realized by frequency doubling with a LiB3O5 crystal.