Femtosecond Yb:KGd(WO(4))(2) laser oscillator pumped by a high power fiber-coupled diode laser module.

The development and characterization of a diode-pumped ultrashort pulse Yb:KGd(WO(4))(2) laser oscillator is reported. The laser was pumped by a 25W fiber-coupled diode laser module operating at 980 nm wavelength. In the mode-locked regime, 296 fs duration pulses centered around 1031 nm were generated at a repetition rate of 61 MHz with a total average output power of up to 3.7W, corresponding to 205 kW of peak power and 60 nJ of energy per pulse. Compensation of positive intracavity dispersion was realized using a single chirped dielectric mirror.