Diode-pumped neodymium lasers repetitively Q-switched by Cr/sup 4+/:YAG solid-state saturable absorbers

We report on the experimental results of a continuously diode-laser pumped Nd:YAG laser, operating at 1064 nm and repetitively Q-switched by a Cr/sup 4+/:YAG solid-state saturable absorber. End-pumping the Nd:YAG with a 10-W fiber-coupled diode-laser we could either optimize the energy or the average output power, depending on the choice of the saturable absorber and the output coupler. The maximum energy was /spl ap/200 /spl mu/J in single TEM/sub 00/, 17 ns pulses at 6 kHz, whereas a maximum average power of /spl ap/2 W with 32-ns pulses at 20 kHz was obtained. We also present preliminary results of a repetitively Q-switched Nd:YVO/sub 4/ laser at 1064 nm. The repetitive Q-switching operation is described by an improved model, which accounts for the behavior of both the active medium and the solid-state saturable absorber. The results of the model agree fairly well with the experimental data. Experimental results of second harmonic conversion are also reported and interpreted using a depleted pump model.