1 064 nm CW mode-locked ultrashort pulse laser based on graphene saturable absorber

A 1 064 nm continuous wave (CW) passively mode-locked ultrashort pulse laser based on graphene saturable absorber was reported. The graphene film was deposited on an antireflection lens, the Nd∶YVO4 crystal was pumped by 808 nm laser diode. On the basis of W-folded cavity, the stable pulses of CW mode-locked were obtained with the average output power of 185 mW when the pump power reached 8.0 W. When pump power reached 16.0 W, the 1 064 nm CW mode-locked ultrashort laser with the average output power of 323 mW, the pulse width of 518 fs and the repetition rate of 66.7 MHz was obtained, which spectrum was centered at 1063.4 nm. Experiment results shows that graphene is an excellent saturable absorber for stable and reliable passively mode-locked pulse generation around 1 064 nm wavelength.