Comparative studies of passively mode-locked Nd:Gd0.64y 0.36VO4 laser and Nd:GdVO4 laser with semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors

We report on the continuous-wave mode locking of a diode-pumped Nd:Gd0.64Y0.36VO4 laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). By using SESAM method, mode-locked pulses as short as 7.1 ps, with a peak power of 2.4 kW and repetition rate of 55.6 MHz, were generated. Comparative studies between the passive mode-locking of the Nd:Gd0.64Y0.36VO4 laser and the Nd:GdVO4 laser were carried out.