Generation of 170-fs laser pulses at 1053 nm by a passively mode-locked Yb:YAG Laser

A novel method is developed to obtain 1.05 mu m laser operation with a Yb:YAG laser. By using a Yb:YAG crystal with proper length and doping concentration, a femtosecond Yb:YAG laser is realized at the central wavelength of 1053 nm. The measured pulse duration and spectral bandwidth (FWHM) are 170 fs and 7 nm; the repetition rate is 80 MHz. Under a power pump of 2 W, an average mode-locking power of 180 mW is achieved.