Passively mode-locked femtosecond laser with an Nd-doped La₃Ga₅SiO₁₄ disordered crystal

We experimentally prove the broad emission band of Nd:LGS disordered crystal and demonstrate a diode-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond Nd-doped La₃Ga₅SiO₁₄ (Nd:LGS) laser for the first time. With a birefringent filter inserted into the cavity, the tunable continuous wave (CW) laser of over 60 nm from 1045.2 nm to 1105.3 nm is achieved, which is the widest tuning range with Nd-doped crystals to our knowledge. Further in mode-locked operation, femtosecond pulses with pulse duration of 381 fs, average output power of 75 mW and repetition rate of 134.4 MHz are obtained at the central wavelength of 1066 nm. It is suitable to be a compact seed for femtosecond laser amplifiers.