Publications

Design and performance of a high-repetition-rate single-frequency Yb:YAG microlaser

Schmitt, Randal L.; Do, Binh T.

We describe the design and performance of a high-repetition-rate single-frequency passively Q-switched Yb:YAG microlaser operating near 1030 nm. By using short cavity length, an intracavity Brewster polarizer, and an etalon output coupler, we are able to produce ∼1-ns-long single-frequency pulses at repetition rates up to 19 kHz without shot-to-shot mode hopping. The laser's output spatial mode is TEM00 and its pulse energy varies between 31 μJ and 47 μJ depending on repetition rate. Its peak optical-to-optical efficiency is 22%.