Single frequency 1070 nm Nd:GdVO_4 laser using a volume Bragg grating

We demonstrate a single frequency diode-pumped Nd:GdVO(4) laser at 1070 nm using a volume Bragg grating as the output coupler of a short plano-concave cavity. The TEM(00) output had a maximum power of 300 mW and a linewidth less than 23 MHz. The beam propagation parameter M2 and the divergence angle at 200 mW were 1.2 and 0.37°, respectively. The single frequency tuning range was 5.1 GHz at 100 mW. Upon locking the laser frequency to a confocal reference cavity, a relative stability of 7.58 kHz was achieved. If frequency doubled, such as using a periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal, this laser offers an excellent light source for parity non-conservation experiments of atomic thallium.