Passively Q-switched Er:Yb:GdMgB 5 O 10 pulse laser at 1567 nm

Continuous-wave and passively Q-switched pulse lasers of an Er:Yb:GdMgB5O10 crystal were investigated in a plano-concave cavity end-pumped by a 975 nm laser diode. A 1569 nm continuous-wave laser with a maximum output power of 0.22 W and a slope efficiency of 14% was realized at an absorbed pump power of 3.6 W. Using a Co2+:Mg0.4Al2.4O4 crystal as a saturable absorber, a 1567 nm passively Q-switched pulse laser with energy of 4.3 µJ, repetition frequency of 42 kHz, and width of 215 ns was obtained. The pulse laser beam was linearly polarized with a quality factor close to 1.5.