Pulse compression based on periodic layered Kerr media has been
demonstrated as an effective technique for femtosecond pulses with
energies around 100 µJ or more. We report such a compressor designed
for pulses in the 10-µJ range, which is
valuable for many applications. Pulses from a fiber chirped-pulse
amplifier are compressed from 300 fs to as short as 60 fs, with good
pulse and beam quality. The compressor is a simple and efficient way
to extend the performance of common Yb-based sources of pulses with
microjoule energies.