Diode-side-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1123 nm with reflective single walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber

We realized a LD-side-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1123nm by using a single walled carbon nanotube saturable absorber (SWCNT-SA). The SWCNT film was prepared by a vertical evaporation method on quartz substrate. At the pump power of 98W, a maximum output power of 680mW for a stable Q-switching operation was obtained. The repetition rate varied from 15.1kHz to 37.2kHz with the increase of pump power. The highest single pulse energy of 12.29μJ occurs at the repetition frequency of 24.4kHz. The corresponding pulse width was measured to be 2.2μs.