Single-mode pulsed dye laser pumped by using a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser with a long pulse width

The lasing characteristics of a single-mode dye laser pumped by using a diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) with a high repetition rate is described. A 45-mm-long Nd:YAG rod was pumped by three CW diode arrays and it was acousto-optically Q-switched. A KTP crystal was used for intracavity frequency doubling. The pulse width of the laser ranged from 90 ns to 200 ns, depending on the diode current and the Q-switching frequency. The single-mode dye laser had a grazing incidence configuration. The pulse width of the dye laser was reduced to about 1/8 of the pumping laser pulse width. The effects of the DPSSL Q-switching frequency, the driving current, and the cavity loss on the dye laser pulse width were investigated by using a simple plane-parallel cavity. From the measured pulse width of the dye laser as a function of the reflectivity of the dye laser output coupler, we found that the cavity loss due to the frequency selection elements and the output coupler should be less than 70 % in order to avoid a drastically reduced pulse width.