Continuous wave and passively Q-switched Nd:Lu0.15Y0.85VO4 laser with 885 nm direct pumping

The 885 nm direct pumping directly into the 4F3/2 emitting level of Nd3+ is applied on an Nd:Lu0.15Y0.85VO4 crystal. The maximum output power of 2.8 W for continuous wave (CW) operation is obtained. For Q-switched operation, the maximum average output power is 1.2 W with pulse repetition of 23.69 kHz and pulse width of 35 ns at the pump power of 27.9 W. The high-quality fundamental transverse mode can be observed owing to the reduction of thermal effect for Nd:Lu0.15Y0.85VO4 crystal by 885 nm direct pumping.