Open AccessActive and passive hybrid mode-locking of a Nd:YVO4laser with a single partially poled KTP crystal
Author(s) -
Stefan Holmgren,
Anna Fragemann,
Valdas Pasiskevicius,
Fredrik Laurell
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.14.006675
Subject(s) - optics , materials science , laser , mode locking , lithium niobate , pulse width modulation , modulation (music) , crystal (programming language) , optoelectronics , voltage , physics , quantum mechanics , acoustics , computer science , programming language
We report on a Nd:YVO(4) laser mode-locked with a hybrid active and passive modulator consisting of a single partially poled KTP crystal. The periodically poled part provides negative cascaded Kerr-lensing, which together with intracavity soft and hard apertures gives passive modulation. Active phase modulation comes from the electro-optic effect by applying a voltage over the unpoled part of the crystal. The active modulation provides pulse lengths of about 95 ps, which initiate pulse shortening and self-sustained passive mode-locking by the cascaded Kerr effect. The repetition rate of the laser was 94 MHz and the output power was 350 mW, with a bandwidth of 0.235 nm and pulse lengths down to 6.9 ps.