Compact and efficient Cr:LiSAF laser pumped by one low-cost single-spatial-mode diode

We present a minimal-cost Cr:LiSAF laser that is pumped by one single-spatial-mode diode. The pumping system (diode, diode driver, and the diode holder) has a total cost of about $500 and provided 130 mW of diffraction-limited pump power around 660 nm. The entire Cr:LiSAF laser system has an estimated total material cost below $5k, a footprint of about 20 cm x 35 cm, does not require cooling and can be driven by batteries, making the system ideal for applications that require portability. In continuous wave (cw) laser experiments, we have demonstrated lasing thresholds as low as 2 mW, slope efficiencies as high as 52%, output powers up to 58 mW, and a record tuning range extending from 780 nm to 1110 nm. In cw mode-locked operation, using a 0.5% output coupler, 100-fs pulses with an average power of 38 mW, and with an optical spectrum centered around 865 nm have been obtained at a repetition rate of 235 MHz. With a more compact cavity and using a 0.1% output coupler, 70-fs pulses with an average power of 20 mW have been obtained at a repetition rate of 509 MHz. We believe that this portable, minimal cost Cr:LiSAF laser system might be an attractive source for applications like amplifier seeding that do not require high average output power levels.