Ytterbium doped Potassium-Gadolinium Tungstate crystals - (Yb:KGd(WO4)2 or Yb:KGW) is an excellent laser gain material which has important advantages over the widely used Nd3+ doped materials. Its broad spectral emission band 1023-1060nm allows the generation of short (ps or fs) laser pulses. Its wide absorption spectrum at 980 nm and high absorption of pump radiation allow an efficient use of diode laser pumping. Compared with YAG used as hosts for Yb3+, KGW has the advantage of larger absorption cross section, which decreases the minimum pump intensity necessary to achieve transparency in the quasi-two-level system of ytterbium.