Nd:YVO4 is the most efficient laser host crystal for diode pumping among the current commercial laser crystals, especially, for low to middle power density. This is mainly for its absorption and emission features surpassing Nd:YAG.
Nd:YVO4's advantages over Nd:YAG:
1) As high as about five times larger absorption efficient over a wide pumping bandwidth around 808 nm (therefore, the dependency on pumping wavelength is much lower and a strong tendency to the single mode output).
2) As large as three times larger stimulated emission cross-section at the lasing wavelength of 1064nm.
3) Lower lasing threshold and higher slope efficiency.
4) As a uniaxial crystal with a large birefringence, the emission is only a linearly polarized.
