Diode-end-pumped acousto-optically Q-switched 914 nm laser and the pulsed blue light generation by intracavity frequency doubling

A diode-end-pumped acousto-optically Q-switched Nd:YVO4 914 nm laser with 2.4 W output power is reported for the first time. With intracavity frequency doubling using a 10-mm-long LBO, a maximum 457 nm blue output power of 526 mW is achieved at a repetition rate of 20 kHz. The conversion efficiency from the corresponding Q-switched fundamental output to blue output is 42%. The peak power of the Q-switched blue pulse is up to 175 W with 150 ns pulse duration. The fluctuation of the blue output power is less than 2.0% at the maximum output power.