Directly diode-pumped Yb:KYW regenerative amplifier

Summary form only given. We present what is, to our best knowledge, the first Yb:KY(WO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ (Yb:KYW) regenerative amplifier. The 10-at.% Yb/sup 3+/-doped KY(WO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ crystal is 4-mm long and cut at Brewster angle for the E//b signal beam. The injection pulses originated from a directly diode-pumped Yb:glass saturable-absorber mode-locked oscillator. The mode-locked pulses stretched by a grating stretcher before being injected.