Ho:YVO/sub 4/ and Ho:YLiF/sub 4/ solid-state saturable absorber Q-switches for 2-/spl mu/m Tm,Cr:Y/sub 3/Al/sub 5/O/sub 12/ laser

Although several solid-state saturable absorbers have been developed in the past few years, the research on passive Q-switching with solid-state saturable absorbers in 2 /spl mu/m region is still at its early stage. In this report we introduce the use of a 4% Ho:YVO/sub 4/ and a 10% Ho:YLiF/sub 4/ (Ho:YLF) solid-state crystals as saturable absorber Q-switches for the Tm,Cr:YAG laser operating at 2.017 /spl mu/m. The optical characteristics of the two saturable absorbers are also investigated.