Repetitively Q-Switched Nd:YAlG–LiIO3 0.53-μ Harmonic Source

Abstract

LiIO₃ placed inside the cavity of an acousto‐optically Q‐switched, tungsten‐pumped Nd:YAlG laser has been employed to generate kilohertz repetition rate pulses at 0.532 μ. The peak output power of 855 W obtained in the TEM₀₀ mode at a repetition rate of 1 kHz was about 1.5 times greater than that available from the same laser at the fundamental laser wavelength, 1.064 μ. Volume damage occurred in the LiIO₃ typically after several hours of operation at 1 kHz, an improvement over Ba₂NaNb₅O₁₅.