Passively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser with greater than 11 W average power.

This paper presents the highest average power passively Q-switched Nd:vanadate laser, to the best of our knowledge. A maximum average output power greater than 11 W was demonstrated using a Nd:YVO4 bounce geometry laser operating at 1064 nm in TEM00 mode, with a spatially stigmatic design. Pulse energies greater than 58 µJ and peak powers in excess of 1.9 kW were obtained; the maximum repetition rate recorded was 190 kHz, close to the upper limit achievable with Cr4+:YAG saturable absorbers.