Abstract: | Passive Q-switching of a diode-pumped Nd : YVO4 laser was demonstrated using GaAs as an output coupler and as a saturable absorber. When pumped with a 3-W diode laser at 809 nm, the highly compact laser produced 12-μJ pulses of 2.2 ns in duration at 1.064 μm in a single transverse mode, corresponding to a peak power of 5.6 kW. |