Passively mode-locked fiber ring laser using semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

We experimentally demonstrate a fiber laser passively mode-locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) in a ring cavity. A pulse series with a temporal width of 1 ns is generated at a repetition rate of 12.3 MHz. With careful polarization adjustment, the pulse width decreases, the peak power increases and the spectral sidebands are formed in the optical spectrum. The reason of the phenomenon above has been analyzed. In addition, the characteristic of the pulse with different length of the Er³⁺ Doped Fiber (EDF) is studied and the results show that it is reabsorption that causes the laser to shift to longer wavelength direction when the EDF length increases.     

氧化石墨烯被动调Q掺铒光纤激光器

报道了基于氧化石墨烯的被动调Q掺铒光纤激光器。激光器采用环形腔结构,调Q器件为自制的氧化石墨烯可饱和吸收镜。泵浦功率在81~505 mW范围内时,得到了重复频率68~124 kHz的稳定的调Q脉冲输出,脉宽为0.47~1.60 s。由于泵浦功率限制,激光器最大输出功率为10 mW, 相应单脉冲能量为80.6 nJ。此种基于氧化石墨烯可饱和吸收体的被动调Q光纤激光器体积小、成本低廉、结构简单、稳定性高、光束质量高,具有广阔的应用前景。     

Passively Q-switched fiber laser based on graphene saturable absorber

A passively graphene Q-switched Erbium doped fiber laser around 1.5 μm is demonstrated in this paper. The graphene saturable absorber was fabricated by sandwiching a thin graphene film produced via chemical vapor deposition between two FC fiber connectors. Stable pulse trains were obtained with the pulse repetition rate varying between 34.72 and 53.2 kHz and the average output power ranging from 0.504 mW to 0.926 mW. The achieved shortest pulse duration and highest pulse energy were 3.2 μs and 17.41 nJ, respectively.     

Dynamic process of self-started self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

Dynamic process of self-started self-mode-locked Ti : sapphire laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) was investigated and two mode-locking starting processes were found in which one is fast and the other is slow. In the fast starting process, a mode-locking build-up time of about 400 μs was needed during which pure passive mode-locking process was caused by the SESAM and Kerr-lens mode-locking process arose from the nonlinearity of the Ti : sapphire gain medium. In the slow starting process, a build-up time of about several minutes was found in which temperature effect of the SESAM dominates the dynamic process.     

Q-switched Er-doped fiber laser with low pumping threshold using graphene saturable absorber

We propose a Q-switched Er-doped fiber laser(EDFL) with a threshold pumping power as low as 7.4 mW, and demonstrate using graphene polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) thin film as a passive saturable absorber(SA). The SA is fabricated from graphene flakes, which is synthesized by electrochemical exfoliation of graphite at room temperature in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate aqueous solution. The flakes are mixed with PVA solution to produce a thin film, which is then sandwiched between two ferrules to form a SA and integrated in the EDFL ring cavity to generate a stable Q-switched pulse train. The pulse train operates at 1560 nm with a threshold pump power of 7.4 mW. At maximum 1480 nm pump power of 33.0 mW, the EDFL generates an optical pulse train with a repetition rate of 27.0 kHz and pulse width of 3.56 μs. The maximum pulse energy of 39.4 nJ is obtained at a pump power of 14.9 mW. This laser can be used as a simple and low-cost light source for metrology, environmental sensing, and biomedical diagnostics.     

Passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser based on gold nanorods

We have demonstrated that the gold nanorods (GNRs) can be used as effective saturable absorbers for passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL). Two types of GNRs were synthesized by a seed-mediated growth method. The longitudinal surface plasmon resonance wavelengths of the GNRs with different aspect ratios were around 1068 and 1442 nm, respectively. The GNRs were mixed with sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) to form GNRs-NaCMC films with different absorption wavelengths. Using these GNRs-NaCMC films, 9.6-μs pulses with a repetition rate of ∼22.9 kHz and 10.4-μs pulses with a repetition rate of ∼22.4 kHz were obtained from the passively Q-switched EDFLs at a pump power of ∼120 mW, respectively.     

Passively Q-switched dual-wavelength Yb:LSO laser based on tungsten disulphide saturable absorber

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched Yb:LSO laser based on tungsten disulphide(WS_2) saturable absorber operating at 1034 nm and 1056 nm simultaneously. The saturable absorbers were fabricated by spin coating method. With low speed, the WS_2 nanoplatelets embedded in polyvinyl alcohol could be coated on a BK7 glass substrate coated with high-refractive-index thin polymer. The shortest pulse width of 1.6 μs with a repetition rate of 76.9 k Hz is obtained. As the pump power increases to 9 W, the maximum output power is measured to be 250 m W, corresponding to a single pulse energy of 3.25 μJ. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to obtain dual-wavelength Q-switched solid-state laser using few-layer WS_2 nanoplatelets.     

Passively mode-locked Nd:GGG laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

The mode-locking operation of the Nd:GGG crystal with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) was demonstrated. Continuous wave (CW) mode-locking was obtained with the pulse duration of 11 ps and the pulse repetition rate of 40.38 MHz. At 7 W of pump power, the maximum average output power of 1.1 W was obtained with the slope efficiency of 18.1%.     

Optimization of GaAs semiconductor saturable absorber Q-switched lasers

The expressions of pulse characteristics such as output energy, peak power, and pulse width are obtained by solving the coupled rate equations describing the operation of GaAs semiconductor saturable absorber Q-switched lasers. The key parameters of an optimally coupled GaAs saturable absorber Q-switched laser are determined and several design curves are generated from these expressions for the first time. These key parameters include the optimal normalized coupling parameters and the optimal normalized saturable absorber parameters that maximize the output energy or maximize the peak power, and the corresponding normalized energy, normalized peak power, and normalized pulse width. Using the expressions and design curves, one can predict the pulse characteristics and perform the design of an optimally coupled GaAs saturable absorber Q-switched laser.     

980-nm all-fiber mode-locked Yb-doped phosphate fiber oscillator based on semiconductor saturable absorber mirror and its amplifier

A 980-nm semiconductor saturable absorber mirror(SESAM) mode-locked Yb-doped phosphate fiber laser is demonstrated by using an all-fiber linear cavity configuration. Two different kinds of cavity lengths are introduced into the oscillator to obtain a robust and stable mode-locked seed source. When the cavity length is chosen to be 6 m, the oscillator generates an average output power of 3.5 m W and a pulse width of 76.27 ps with a repetition rate of 17.08 MHz. As the cavity length is optimized to short, 4.4-m W maximum output power and 61.15-ps pulse width are produced at a repetition rate of 20.96 MHz. The output spectrum is centered at 980 nm with a narrow spectral bandwidth of 0.13 nm. In the experiment, no undesired amplified spontaneous emission(ASE) nor harmful oscillation around 1030 nm is observed. Moreover,through a two-stage all-fiber-integrated amplifier, an output power of 740 m W is generated with a pulse width of 200 ps.     

石墨烯可调谐被动调Q掺铒光纤激光器

基于光学沉积方法,制备了石墨烯可饱和吸收体,并利用此可饱和吸收体搭建了环形腔结构的被动调Q掺铒光纤激光器,实现了稳定的调Q激光脉冲输出,其重复频率为5.1~14.2 kHz,最窄激光脉冲宽度为8 s,最大平均功率为162.3 W,且通过调节偏振控制器,中心波长在1556~1558 nm可调。     

Laser-diode end-pumped intracavity frequency doubling semiconductor saturable absorber mirror passively mode-locked picosecond lasers

A diode pumped Nd:YVO₄ semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) passive mode-locked intracavity frequency doubled laser was studied. A type II phase matching KTiOPO₄(KTP) crystal and a type I phase matching LiB₃O₅ (LBO) frequency doubling crystal were respectively inserted in the cavity. With a pump power of 4.5 W, a 90 mW output of frequency doubled beam and 29.7 ps pulse duration were achieved with frequency doubled by KTP. With the same pump power a 140 mW output of frequency doubled beam and 3.67 ps pulse duration were achieved with LBO.     

Q-switched fiber laser using carbon platinum saturable absorber on side-polished fiber

A 1550 nm Q-switched fiber laser using a carbon platinum saturable absorber deposited on side-polished fiber(SPF) is proposed and demonstrated. The SPF is approximately 2 mm with a polarization-dependent loss(PDL)of 0.4 dB and an insertion loss of 2.5 dB. A stable Q-switched output spectrum is obtained at 1559.34 nm with a peak power of ~6 mW, a pulse width of 1.02 μs, pulse energy of 5.8 nJ, average output power of 0.76 mW, and a repetition rate of 131.6 kHz taken at a pump power of 230.0 mW. A signal-to-noise ratio of 49.62 d B indicates that the Q-switched pulse is highly stable.     

基于金纳米棒可饱和吸收体的被动调Q掺铒光纤激光器

利用种子诱导生长法制备了长径比为5的金纳米棒,测量了它的吸收谱,结果表明该纳米棒具有较宽的吸收带（800~1 600 nm）。进一步测量了它的非线性吸收性质,结果表明它在1.56 μm波长处具有可饱和吸收特性,有望被用于实现被动调Q脉冲激光的输出。将该可饱和吸收体置于掺铒光纤激光器腔内,当泵浦功率增至30 mW时开始有稳定的调Q脉冲激光输出,输出激光的工作波长为1.56 μm。当泵浦功率为205 mW时,可获得的最大输出功率约6.9 mW,脉冲能量达219 nJ。研究结果表明,这种新型可饱和吸收体在脉冲激光领域具有广阔的应用前景。     

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched mode-locked Nd:LuVO4 laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

We present a compact passively Q-switched mode-locked Nd:LuVO₄ laser run in a Z-type folded cavity with semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The repetition rates of the passively Q-switched pulse envelope ranges from 22.99 to 141.18 kHz as the pump power increased from 2.372 to 8.960 W. The repetition rates of mode-locked laser pulses in the Q-switched pulse envelope has 111 MHz determined by the cavity length and the mode-locked pulse duration is evaluated to be 257 ps. An average output power of 823.5 mW is achieved at the pump power of 8.96 W, corresponding to an optical conversion efficiency of 9.2%.     

Passively Q-switched cylindrical vector laser based on a black phosphorus saturable absorber

We demonstrate an all-fiber Q-switched cylindrical vector laser based on a black phosphorus saturable absorber and a transverse mode converter. The saturable absorber is prepared by incorporating the polyvinyl alcohol with anti-oxidized black phosphorus nanosheets exfoliated in aqueous poly(dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride)solution. The mode converter is composed of a tapered two-mode fiber and a single-mode fiber, and it can excite switchable azimuthally and radially polarized beams by modulating the input polarization. By enhancing the pump power from 64.68 to 174.82 mW, the repetition rate of the Q-switched azimuthally/radially polarized laser enlarges from 16.72/19.25 to 30.71/37.82 kHz.     

Passively Q-switched fiber laser that uses saturable Raman gain

Operation of a short all-fiber passively Q-switched Raman laser pumped by a continuous-wave laser diode is experimentally demonstrated. The passively switched fiber laser consists simply of a double-clad ytterbium-doped silica fiber that is spliced directly to a moderately germanium-doped silica fiber. The placement of the Ge-doped silica fiber within the fundamental (Raman pump) cavity allows interplay between fundamental and Stokes fields to take place, which leads to saturation of the Raman gain as a result of pump depletion. Pulse widths of 70 and 60 ns at the first and second Stokes wavelengths of 1168 and 1232 nm, respectively, are produced at a stable 588 kHz repetition rate.     

Raman fiber laser pumped by a semiconductor disk laser and mode locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

A 1.6μm mode-locked Raman fiber laser pumped by a 1480nm semiconductor disk laser is demonstrated. Watt-level core pumping of the single-mode fiber Raman lasers with low-noise disk lasers together with semiconductor saturable absorber mirror mode locking represents a highly practical solution for short-pulse operation.     

Tunable passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using MoWS2/rGO nanocomposite saturable absorber

We demonstrated a tunable Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL) using MoWS₂/rGO nanocomposite as passive saturable absorber. Further, the Mo_1?xW_xS₂/rGO nanosheets, with x proportion of 0.2, are synthesized using hydrothermal exfoliation technique. The proposed nanocomposite-PVA based thin film is fabricated by mixing the MoWS₂/rGO nanosheets with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The fabricated thin film is sandwiched between two fiber ferrules to realize the proposed saturable absorber (SA). Further, the proposed MoWS₂/rGO-PVA based thin film SA exhibits a fast relaxation time and a high damage threshold which are suitable to realize a Q-switched pulsed laser with a tunable wavelength range of 10?nm that extends from 1028?nm to 1038?nm. For the highest pump power of 267.4?mW, the generated Q-switched pulses exhibit a narrow pulse width of 1.22 μs, the pulse repetition rate of 90.4?kHz, the highest pulse energy of 2.13?nJ and its corresponding average power of 0.193?mW. To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first realization of a tunable Q-switching fiber laser in a 1?μm wavelength using MoWS₂/rGO nanocomposite saturable absorber.     

Low-repetition-rate,all-polarization-maintaining Yb-doped fiber laser mode-locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber

A low-repetition-rate, all-polarization-maintaining(PM)-fiber sub-nanosecond oscillator is presented, which is simple and low-cost, composed of standard components. The ring cavity is elongated by 114-m-long standard PM fiber, and passively mode-locked by a fiber pigtailed semiconductor saturable absorber. Linearly polarized pulses with 1.66 MHz repetition rate and 22 dB polarization extinction ratio are generated at a wavelength of 1030 nm, which is determined by an intracavity filter. In addition, to demonstrate that the oscillator is a good seed for high energy pulse generation, an all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier is built and amplified pulses with energy about 2 μJ are obtained.