Passive Q-Switching Laser Performance of Yb:YVO₄ Crystal

We report on the passive Q-switching laser performance of Yb:YVO₄ crystal. Utilizing a Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystal plate as the saturable absorber, which is of an initial transmission as high as 99.3%, we demonstrate a stable passively Q-switched laser operation at 1017.2 nm, producing an average output power of 0.87 W at a pulse repetition rate of 71.4 kHz, with a slope efficiency of 30%. The resulting pulse energy, duration, and peak power are 12.2 μJ, 87 ns, and 0.14 kW, respectively.