A High Peak Power and High Beam Quality Sub-Nanosecond Nd:YVO4 Laser System at 1 kHz Repetition Rate without SRS Process

Abstract

We present a compact sub-nanosecond diode-end-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser system running at 1 kHz. A maximum output energy of 65.4 mJ without significant stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) process was obtained with a pulse duration of 600 ps, corresponding to a pulse peak power of 109 MW. Laser pulses from this system had good beam quality, where M2 < 1.6, and the excellent signal to noise ratio was more than 42 dB. By frequency doubling with an LBO crystal, 532 nm green light with an average power of 40.5 W and a power stability of 0.28% was achieved. The diode-end-pumped pump power limitation on a high peak power amplifier caused by the SRS process and thermal fracture in bulk Nd:YVO4 crystal is also analyzed.