Diode-pumped self-starting mode-locked femtosecond Yb：YCa4O（BO3）3 laser

A self-starting mode-locked femtosecond laser is accomplished with an oxoborate self-frequency doubling crystal Yb：YCa4O（BO3）3 （Yb：YCOB） as the gain medium and a semiconductor mirror as the saturable absorber. Pumped by a 976-nm fiber-coupled diode laser with 50-ktm core diameter, stable mode-locked laser pulses up to 430 mW were obtained at a repetition rate of 83.61 MHz under 5-W pump power. The autocorrelation measurement shows that the pulse duration is as short as 150 fs by assuming the sech2 pulse shape at a central wavelength of 1048 nm. This work has demonstrated a compact and reliable femtosecond laser source for prospective low-cost applications.