By using a semiconductor saturable-absorber output coupler as a mode-locking device, we experimentally realized the operation of a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser. Stable laser pulses with duration of 2.3ps were generated at the output power of about 1W. With increasing the pump power to 9 W, the maximum mode-locked power of 1.7 W was obtained, which corresponds to a slope conversion efficiency of 44% and opticalto-optical conversion efficiency of 19%.