The Nd:CaYAlO4 passively mode locked laser with a SESAM

The diode-end-pumped Nd:CaYAlO4 mode locked laser with a semiconductor saturable absorbing mirror is demonstrated. Using an X-shaped cavity, a stable CW mode locking was achieved. The mode-locked pulses were as short as 5.58 ps with a repetition rate of ∼94 MHz at 1079.5 nm. With a 6 W laser diode pumping, a 720 mW mode-locked laser was obtained with a slope efficiency of 22.1%.