Mode locking of Nd:YAlO sub 3 at 1. 08 and 1. 34. mu. m wavelengths using a single LiIO sub 3 crystal

In this paper passive mode locking of a Nd:YAlO{sub 3} laser at 1.08 and 1.34 {mu}m using a nonlinear mirror based on second harmonic generation is described. A single 30{degree} cut frequency-doubling LiIO{sub 3} crystal is used to mode lock both transitions, demonstrating the superiority of this mode-locking technique over that using saturable absorbers. Pulses as short as 50 ps at 1.08 {mu}m and 15 ps at 1.34 {mu}m are obtained. A comparative analysis of the mode-locking performance at the two wavelength is presented, indicating that the longer pulse duration at 1.08 {mu}m is due to the higher gain and insufficient number of round-trips in the pulse train development.