16.9†W average power from a diode-pumped picosecond Yb:YAG laser with a large-size rectangular core crystalline waveguide.

We demonstrate a high-power all-solid-state picosecond laser based on a passive mode-locking laser with a large-size rectangular core crystalline waveguide and a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror. An average power of 16.9 W is achieved with a 1.96 ps duration and a 31.74 MHz repetition frequency. This is the first demonstration of a mode-locked laser with a large-size rectangular core crystalline waveguide to our knowledge.