Acousto-optically Q-switched 0.91 μm Nd3+-doped vanadate lasers and 0.45 μm blue-light emissions by intracavity frequency-doubling

Diode-laser pumped Q-switched Nd3+-doped vanadate lasers at 0.91 μm and intracavity frequency-doubling of 0.45 μm blue light emissions are studied. Using a compact V-type laser cavity and a miniature acousto-optically (AO) Q-switch, the highest average output powers of 2.2 W 0.912 μm Nd:GdVO4 laser and 1.59 W 0.914 μm Nd:YVO4 laser are obtained at repetition rate of 10 kHz, with the optical conversion efficiency of 7.4% and 5.3%, and the slope efficiency of 14.8% and 9.5%. Employing a BiBO crystal as frequency-doubler, 1.3 W, 37 ns 0.456 μm and 0.84W, 37.4 ns 0.457 μm pulsed blue light are emitted at 10 kHz, corresponding to the peak power of 3.51 kW and 2.25 kW, respectively. In addition, stable operation is up to 100 kHz.