Passive Q-Switching in a Flash-Lamp Pumped Nd∶YAG Laser with Ion-Implanted GaAs Wafer

A passive Q-switched flash-lamp-pumped Nd∶YAG laser with the ion-implanted semi-insulating GaAs wafer is reported.The wafer is implanted with 400keV As+ ions in the concentration of 10 16cm -2.Using GaAs wafer as an absorber and an output coupler,62ns pulse duration of single pulse is obtained.

MoS_2 saturable absorber prepared by chemical vapor deposition method for nonlinear control in Q-switching fiber laser

Due to the remarkable carrier mobility and nonlinear characteristic, MoS2 is considered to be a powerful competitor as an effective optical modulated material in fiber lasers. In this paper, the MoS2 films are prepared by the chemical vapor deposition method to guarantee the high quality of the crystal lattice and uniform thickness. The transfer of the films to microfiber and the operation of gold plated films ensure there is no heat-resistant damage and anti-oxidation. The modulation depth of the prepared integrated microfiber-MoS2 saturable absorber is 11.07%. When the microfiber-MoS2 saturable absorber is used as a light modulator in the Q-switching fiber laser, the stable pulse train with a pulse duration of 888 ns at 1530.9 nm is obtained. The ultimate output power and pulse energy of output pulses are 18.8 mW and 88 nJ, respectively. The signal-to-noise ratio up to 60 dB indicates the good stability of the laser. This work demonstrates that the MoS2 saturable absorber prepared by the chemical vapor deposition method can serve as an effective nonlinear control device for the Q-switching fiber laser.

Q-Switching Pulse Operation in 1.5-μm Region Using Copper Nanoparticles as Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） using a copper nanoparticle （CuNP） thin film as the saturable absorber in a ring cavity. A stable Q-switched pulse operation is observed as the CuNP saturable absorber （SA） is introduced in the cavity. The pulse repetition rate of the EDFL is observed to be proportional to the pump power, and is limited to 101.2kHz by the maximum pump power of 113.7mW. On the other hand, the pulse width reduces from 10.19μs to 4.28μs as the pump power is varied from 26.1 mW to 113.7mW. The findings suggest that CuNP SA could be useful as a potential saturable absorber for the development of the robust, compact, efficient and low cost Q-switched fiber laser operating at 1.5-μm region.

Passive Q-Switching of a Yb:LuVO_4 Laser with Cr^(4+):YAG:Approaching the Intrinsic Upper Limit of Repetition Rate

We demonstrate a diode pumped Yb：LuVO4 laser that can be passively Q-switched by a Cr^（4＋）：YAG saturable absorber having an initial transmission as high as 99.3%.A maximum pulsed output power of 2.35 W is generated at a repetition rate of 285.7 kHz,approaching or very near the intrinsic upper limit imposed by the recovery time of the Cr^（4＋）：YAG saturable absorber,and the resulting pulse energy,duration and peak power are,respectively,8.2μJ,39.2ns and 0.209kW.

High-power xenon lamp-pumped Er:YAP pulse laser operated in free-running and acousto-optical Q-switching modes

We demonstrate a high-energy and high-power pulse laser on a xenon lamp-pumped Er:YAP crystal. The laser performance and thermal focal lengths under different working frequencies are discussed. The results show that the thermal lens effect is gradually aggravated with the increase of working frequencies, and even working at 100 Hz, a single pulse energy of 234 m J can be achieved. A maximum average power of 41.5 W is achieved with a working frequency of 20 Hz and slope efficiency of 2.82%. This output power is much higher than other xenon lamp-pumped erbium laser devices.A Q-switched laser is demonstrated by using the TeO2crystal, the maximum output energies of 11.5 m J and 3.5 m J are obtained at 50 and 100 Hz, the corresponding peak powers are 93.4 k W and 17.2 kW, respectively.The laser wavelengths and beam quality factors are also characterized in the free-running and Q-switched modes. A higher pulse energy and peak power laser could be achieved further by improving the damage threshold of TeO2acousto-optical Q-switching. All the experimental results illustrate that the xenon lamp-pumped Er:YAP laser is a promising candidate for high-power and high-frequency mid-infrared laser devices.

Passive, Stable and Order-Adjustable SBS Q-Switching Fiber Laser

We propose a new method to separate different orders of an all-fiber passive Q-switching stimulated Brillouin scattering（SBS） laser. We use two fiber Bragg gratings connected by two circulators for the filtering. We obtain a stabilized pulse laser and measure the pulse width of different orders. The first order of SBS has a central wavelength of 1549.75 nm, an average output power of 9 mW, and a pulse width of 400 ns. The pulse width of SBS is reduced by the higher-order signals with the larger fluctuations.

Passive Q-switching and Q-switched mode-locking operations of 2 μm Tm:CLNGG laser with MoS2 saturable absorber mirror

With MoS2 as saturable absorber, passive Q-switching and Q-switched mode-locking operations of a Tm-doped calcium lithium niobium gallium garnet（Tm:CLNGG） laser were experimentally demonstrated. The Q-switched laser emitted a maximum average output power of 62 mW and highest pulse energy of 0.72 μJ. Q-switched mode locking was also obtained in the experiment. The research results will open up applications of MoS2 at the mid-infrared wavelength.

Q-switching of waveguide lasers based on graphene/WS_2 van der Waals heterostructure

We report on the operation of passively Q-switched waveguide lasers at 1 μm wavelength based on a graphene∕WS_2 heterostructure as a saturable absorber(SA). The gain medium is a crystalline Nd:YVO_4 cladding waveguide produced by femtosecond laser writing. The nanosecond waveguide laser operation at 1064 nm has been realized with the maximum average output power of 275 m W and slope efficiency of 37%. In comparison with the systems based on single WS_2 or graphene SA, the lasing Q-switched by a graphene∕WS_2 heterostructure SA possesses advantages of a higher pulse energy and enhanced slope efficiency, indicating the promisingapplications of van der Waals heterostructures for ultrafast photonic devices.

Three-nanosecond-equal interval sub-pulse Nd:YAG laser with multi-step active Q-switching

We demonstrate a three-nanosecond equidistant sub-pulse multi-step Q-switched Nd:Y3 Al5 O12(Nd:YAG) laser.In the time interval of 100–1000 ns, three pulses with the same nanosecond interval and the same peak power are obtained at the pulse width of 24 ns, 28 ns, and 36.6 ns, respectively.The energy is 32.5 m J, and the optical efficiency is 10.8%.The multi-step Q-switched method does not require the insertion of other optical elements into the traditional Q-switched laser, and it is very suitable to obtain pulse group output with several nanosecond pulse intervals.

Enhanced Q-switching performance of magnetite nanoparticle via compositional engineering with Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene in the near infrared region

In this work,we reported a new strategy to improve the nonlinear saturable absorption performance of magnetite(Fe_(3)O_(4))nanoparticles(FONPs)via the compositional engineering with the Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene in the near-infrared(NIR)region.Based on the DFT simulation,the band structures and work function were significantly modified by the Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene doping.By using the open-aperture Z-scan technology,the nonlinear optical features of the FONPs@Ti_(3)C_(2) nanocomposite were significantly improved,showing the great potential as the saturable absorber in the pulsed laser.With the nanocomposite as the saturable absorber,the passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 lasers emitted much shorter pulse durations when compared with the pristine FONP saturable absorber.These findings indicated that FONPs@Ti_(3)C_(2) heterostructure was a promising saturable absorber for the short pulse generation in the NIR region.

Graphene oxide-COOH as a new saturable absorber for both Q-switching and mode-locking fiber lasers

Graphene oxide carboxylic acid（COOH）, a novel two-dimensional（2D） layered material with its unique optical and electronic properties, is discovered to exhibit the saturation of optical absorption under laser illumination.Applying the liquid-phase exfoliation method, we prepare graphene oxide-COOH dispersions with deionized water and fabricate graphene oxide-COOH polyvinyl alcohol polymer composite film. We further obtain stable Q-switching pulse and mode-locked laser operation with a 22.7 MHz repetition rate and a 1.5 ps pulse duration by incorporating the graphene oxide-COOH-based saturable absorbers into the all-fiber erbium-doped fiber laser cavity. The experimental results show that the proposed graphene oxide-COOH material can act as an effective absorber for pulsed fiber lasers, which demonstrate potential applications in the area of ultrafast optics.

2.3 μm nanosecond passive Q-switching of an LD-pumped Tm:YLF laser using gold nanorods as a saturable absorber

Developing new saturable absorbers for use in the mid-infrared region has practical significance for short-pulsed lasers and related scientific and industrial applications.The performance of gold nanorods(GNRs)as saturable absorbers at novel mid-infrared wavelengths needs to be evaluated even though these benefit from ultrafast nonlinear responses and broadband saturable absorption.Passive Q-switching of an LD-pumped 2.3μm Tm:YLF laser using GNRs was successfully realized in this study.Pulses with an 843 ns pulse width and a 6.67 kHz repetition rate were achieved using this Q-switched laser.Results showed that GNRs provide promising passive Q-switches for 2.3μm Tm-doped lasers.

Dual-wavelength Bi2Se3-based passively Q-switching Nd3+-doped glass all-fiber laser

We demonstrate a dual-wavelength passively Q-switched Nd^（3＋）-doped glass fiber laser using a few-layer topological insulator Bi2Se3 as a saturable absorber（SA） for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The laser resonator is a simple and compact linear cavity using two fiber end-facet mirrors. The SA is fabricated by Bi2Se3/polyvinyl alcohol composite film. By inserting the SA into the laser cavity, a stable Q-switching operation is achieved with the shortest pulse width and maximum pulse repetition rate of 601 ns and 205.2 kHz,respectively. The maximum average output power and maximum pulse energy obtained are about 6.6 mW and 38.8 nJ, respectively.

Passive Q-switching in an erbium-doped fiber laser using tungsten sulphoselenide as a saturable absorber

A highly stable Q-switched laser incorporating a mechanically exfoliated tungsten sulphoselenide （WSSe） thin sheet saturable absorber （SA） is proposed and demonstrated. The SA assembly, formed by sandwiching a thin WSSe sheet between two fiber ferrules within the erbium-doped fiber laser, is used to effectively modulate the laser cavity losses. The WSSe-based SA has a saturation intensity of ~0.006 MW∕cm^2 and a modulation depth of 7.8%, giving an optimum Q-switched laser output with a maximum repetition rate of 61.81 kHz and a minimum pulse width of 2.6 μs. The laser＇s highest output power of 0.45 mW and highest pulse energy of 7.31 nJ are achieved at the maximum pump power of 280.5 mW. The tunability of the cavity＇s output at the maximum pump power is analyzed with a C-band tunable bandpass filter, giving a broad tunable range of ~40 nm, from 1530 nm to 1570 nm. The output performance of the tunable Q-switched laser correlates well with the gain spectrum of erbium-doped fibers, with the shift in the gain profile as a result of the saturated SA.

Active/passive Q-switching operation of 2 μm Tm,Ho:YAP laser with an acousto-optical Q-switch/MoS_2 saturable absorber mirror

The active/passive Q-switching operation of a 2 [tm a-cut Tm,Ho：YAP laser was experimentally demonstrated with an acousto-optical Q-switch/MoS2 saturable absorber mirror. The active Q-switch laser was operated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, with an average output power of 12.3 W and a maximum pulse energy of 10.3 mJ. The passive Q-switch laser was also the first acquired with an average output power of 3.3 W and per pulse energy of 23.31 μJ, and the beam quality factors of Mx^2 = 1.06 and My^2 = 1.06 were measured at the average output power of 2 W.

Continuous wave and active Q-switched operation of Watt-level LED-pumped two-rod Nd,Ce:YAG laser

A high-performance LED-side-pumped two-rod Nd,Ce:YAG laser with continuous-wave(CW) and acousto–optical(A-O) Q-switched operation is demonstrated in this work. A symmetrically shaped flat–flat cavity with two identical LEDside-pumped laser modules is employed for power scalability. In the CW regime, the maximum output average power of laser at 1064 nm is 4.41 W, corresponding to a maximum optical conversion efficiency of 5.3% and a slope efficiency is 12.4%. In the active Q-switched regime, the pulse energy of laser reaches as high as 0.89 m J at a repetition rate of 800 Hz with a pulse width of 457.2 ns, the corresponding highest peak output power is 1.94 k W and the M~2 factor is measured to be about 8.8. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration and the highest performance of a CW LED-side-pumped two-rod laser Nd,Ce:YAG with Watt-level output reported so far.

A compact graphene Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser using optical circulator and tunable fiber Bragg grating

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched tunable erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） based on graphene as a saturable absorber （SA）. A three-port optical circulator （OC） and a strain-induced tunable fiber Bragg grating （TFBG） are used as the two end mirrors in an all-fiber linear cavity. The Q-switched EDFL has a low pump threshold of 23.8 mW. The pulse repetition rate of the fiber laser can be widely changed from 9.3 kHz to 69.7 kHz by increasing the pump power from 23.8 mW to 219.9 mW. The minimum pulse duration is 1.7 p.s and the highest pulse energy is 25.4 nJ. The emission wavelength of the laser can be tuned from 1560.43 nm to 1566.27 nm by changing the central wavelength of the straininduced TFBG.

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 （WS2） saturable absorber op- erating at 1034 nm and 1056 nm simultaneously. The saturable absorbers were fabricated by spin coating method. With low speed, the WS2 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 gs with a repetition rate of 76.9 kHz is obtained. As the pump power increases to 9 W, the maximum output power is measured to be 250 mW, 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 WS2 nanoplatelets.

High-energy pulse generation using Yb-doped Q-switched fiber laser based on single-walled carbon nanotubes

An all-fiber laser using a single-walled carbon nanotube（SWCNT） as the saturable absorber（SA） for Q-switched operation in the 1031 nm region is demonstrated in this work. A lasing threshold as low as 17 mW was realized for continuous wave operation. By further increasing the pump power, stable Q-switched pulse trains are obtained when the pump power ranges from 38 mW to 125 mW, corresponding to repetition rate varying from 40.84 kHz to 66.24 kHz, the pulse width from 2.0 μs to 1.0 μs,and the highest single pulse energy of 40.6 nJ respectively.

A Laser-Diode-Pumped Nd:YAG Laser Q-Switched with a YAG Color Center Chip

A laser-diode-pumped Nd: YAG laser Q-switched Passively with a YAG colorcenter chip has been deveolped. The Q-switched pulse output has a duration of 25-70ns,an energy of about 7.9 μJ and a repetition frequency of 1.25-5.0kHz when the laser cavityparameters and pump power are changed. The Q-switched dynamics is analyzed with therate equation theorry. The theoretical and experimental results agree well.