Double-crystal LiTaO3 electro-optic Q-switch with excellent performances.

We prepared a double-crystal LiTaO₃ (LT) electro-optic (EO) Q-switch and investigated its overall Q-switching performances. The LT EO Q-switch is fabricated from two x-cut LT crystals to utilize the maximum effective EO coefficient. The static and dynamic quarter-wave voltage were measured to be 1200 V and 950 V respectively, which are both considerably lower than those of other commercial EO Q-switches. Besides, the LT Q-switch can operate at a wide temperature range with high temperature stability. The dynamic-to-static ratios at sub-freezing temperatures were up to 80 percent of that at room temperature. Furthermore, the piezoelectric ringing in the LT Q-switch was found to be comparable to that of RTP Q-switches, and it had been successfully operated at a repetition rate of 1 kHz with stable Q-switched laser output. The only disadvantage is the low extinction ratio which is mainly caused by the optical inhomogeneity and can be improved by improving the optical quality of LT crystals. The double-crystal LT EO Q-switches are particularly attractive for Q-switched lasers because of their excellent comprehensive performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]