title: Actively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser using an electro-optic periodically poled lithium niobate crystal as a laser Q-switch.
abstract: We demonstrate a low-voltage and fast laser Q-switching by using an electro-optic periodically poled lithium niobate (EO PPLN) crystal. The half-wave voltage measured from the EO PPLN crystal was 0.36 V x d (microm)/L (cm), where d is the electrode separation and L is the electrode length. When a 13-mm-long EO PPLN was used as a laser Q switch at 7-kHz switching rate, we measured an approximately 12-ns pulse width and approximately 0.74-kW laser pulses at 1064-nm wavelength from a diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser with continuous 1.2-W pump power at 809-nm wavelength.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu 30043, Taiwan. yehchen@mx.nthu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang