Electro-Optically Q-Switched Er: YLF Laser at 2.8 μm

Nowadays, there is an effort to generate short laser pulses in the spectral range
$2.7-2.94\mu \mathrm{m}$
since this laser radiation is strongly absorbed in the water and it can be used in medicine (surgery, ophthalmology, urology) [1], [2]. Laser radiation in this spectral range can be generated using erbium-doped active media and its laser transition
$4\mathrm{I}_{11/2}\rightarrow^{4}\mathrm{I}_{13/2}$
. Short pulses can be generated by several methods. An active electro-optical approach allows precise timing with high repetition rates up to tens of kHz, which is main benefit of this type of Q-switching in comparison with, for example, SESAM [3]. The uniaxial Er:YLF crystal can generate a naturally polarized laser radiation, which is benefit for using polarization-dependent Pockels cell with
$\text{LiNbO}_{3}$
crystal [1], [2]. In this work, to the best of our knowledge, the diode-pumped electro-optically Q-switched Er: YLF laser with repetition rate reaching 10kHz is presented for the first time.