Q-switch and free-running stable-pulse 1060-nm laser

The effects of laser cavity components on the stability of the energy and beam directivity of a Nd:glass laser oscillator are reported. The parameters included the water cooling glass tube surrounding the laser rod, the aperture and the end reflectors, i.e., two plane mirrors, a plane mirror and a porro prism, and two porro prisms. Both axes of the output coupler, the plane mirror, and only one axis of the porro prism required rigid constraints. In the two porro prism laser cavity, only one axis per prism required rigid constraints. The constraints of the other two orthogonal axes were satisfied by the right angle of the porro prism. The components of the stable laser cavity consisted of: two porro prisms end reflectors with their apexes at 900, a 50% reflectivity beamsplitter output coupler, a 0.96 cm diameter 17 cm long Nd(3) glass laser rod, a diffuse scattering glass tube surrounding the laser rod, a double elliptical pumping cavity, a 0.31 cm diameter aperture, a Pockels cell operating in its half wave voltage mode, and two polarizers.