Continuous wave dual-wavelength Nd:YVO4 laser working at 1064 and 1066 nm

We demonstrate a continuous-wave (CW) dual-wavelength Nd:YVO4 laser working at 1064 and 1066 nm simultaneously. The method of Nd: YVO4 crystal angle tuning is used to balance the ratio of the stimulated emission cross sections of the two wavelengths, leading to the realization of a simultaneous dual-wavelength operation from only one laser. The experimental results show that at a 2.85 W pump power, the maximum output powers at wavelengths of 1064 and 1066 nm are 0.55 and 0.54 W, respectively. The linear resonate cavity is as short as 10 mm, which gives the laser the advantages of a miniature configuration and low threshold. Such a dual-wavelength laser can be very attractive for the development of compact THz sources based on difference frequency generation.