Patent ID: 8275015

Claim:
A method of generating a laser beam, the method comprising: introducing a passively q-switched monolithic ring laser into an optical cavity of a crystal, the cavity having a round-trip path formed by an initial reflection at a dielectrically coated front surface of the crystal, a first internal reflection at a first side surface of the crystal at a non-orthogonal angle with the front surface, a second internal reflection at a top surface of the crystal, and a third internal reflection at a second side surface of the crystal at a non-orthogonal angle with the front surface; side pumping the crystal at the top surface with a side pump diode array beam with an end pump serving as mode control when the crystal is side pumped with high intensity, enabling a high power output with a single transverse mode; and generating an output laser emanating from the front surface; wherein the side pumped, passively q-switched monolithic ring laser reduces the laser pulses timing jitter by injecting an auxiliary low energy, very short pulse laser at a lasing wavelength into the crystal.