Passive Q-switched lasers and methods for operation and manufacture thereof

A method for manufacturing parts for a passively Q-switched (P-QS) laser, comprising:

• inserting at least one first powder into a first mold;
• compacting the at least one first powder in the first mold to yield a first green body;
• inserting at least one second powder different than the at least one first powder into a second mold;
• compacting the at least one second powder in the second mold, thereby yielding a second green body;
• heating the first green body to yield a first crystalline material;
• heating the second green body to yield a second crystalline material;
• and
• coupling the second crystalline material to the first crystalline material,
• wherein one of the first crystalline material and the second crystalline material is a neodymium-doped crystalline material and is a gain medium (GM) for the P-QS laser,
• wherein the other of the first crystalline material and the second crystalline material is a saturable absorber (SA) for the P-QS laser and is a material selected from the group consisting of a neodymium-doped crystalline material and a doped crystalline material,
• wherein the doped crystalline material is selected from the group consisting of a three-valence vanadium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (V3+:YAG) and a two-valence cobalt-doped crystalline material, and
• wherein at least one of the GM and the SA is a ceramic crystalline material.