We present a low-cost multimode diode pumped passively Q-switched Cr:LiCAF laser operating near 800 nm. AlGaAs-based saturable Bragg reflectors (SBRs) were used for passive Q-switching. The system is experimentally characterized in detail using four different output couplers and two SBRs with modulation depths. Pulse widths the 1.5–4 µs range at repetition rates between 18 40 kHz achieved avera...

Passively Q-switched microchip lasers enable great potential for sophisticated lidar systems due to their compact overall system design, excellent beam quality, and scalable pulse energies. However, many near-infrared solid-state operate at >1000 nm which are not compatible with state-of-the-art silicon detectors. Here we demonstrate a passively laser operating 914 nm. The consists of 3 mm l...

Photoacoustic signals are usually generated using bulky and expensive Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers, with limited scope for varying the pulse repetition frequency, wavelength and pulse width. An alternative would be to use laser diodes as excitation sources; these devices are compact, relatively inexpensive, and available in a wide variety of NIR wavelengths. Their pulse duration and repetition rate...