Q-Switched Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Using Cadmium Selenide Coated onto Side-Polished D-Shape Fiber as Saturable Absorber

A stable Q-switched erbium doped fiber laser emitting at 1558 nm is demonstrated using a cadmium selenide（CdSe） material coated onto a side-polished D-shape fiber as the saturable absorber（SA）. By elevating the input pump power from the threshold of 91 mW to the maximum available power of 136 mW, a pulse train with a maximum repetition rate of 57.44 kHz, minimum pulse width of 3.76 us, maximum average output power of7.99 mW, maximum pulse energy of 0.1391 uJ, and maximum peak power of 36.99 mW are obtained. The signalto-noise ratio of the spectrum is measured to be around 75 dB. This CdSe based SA is simple, robust, and reliable,and thus suitable for making a portable pulse laser source.

Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Using Vanadium Oxide as Saturable Absorber

A mode-locked erbium doped fiber laser（EDFL） is demonstrated using the vanadium oxide（V2O5） material as a saturable absorber（SA）. The V2O5 based SA is hosted into poly ethylene oxide film and attached on fiber ferule in the laser cavity. It shows 7% modulation depth with 71 MW/cm2 saturation intensity. By incorporating the SA inside the EDFL cavity with managed intra-cavity dispersion, ultrashort soliton pulses are successfully generated with a full width at half maximum of 3.14 ps. The laser operated at central wavelength of 1559.25 nm and repetition frequency of 1 MHz.

Q-Switched Raman Fiber Laser with Molybdenum Disulfide-Based Passive Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched Raman fiber laser using molybdenum disulfide （MoS2） as a saturable absorber （SA）. The SA is assembled by depositing a mechanically exfoliated MoS2 onto a fiber ferrule facet before it is matched with another clean ferrule via a connector. It is inserted in a Raman fiber laser cavity with a total cavity length of about 8kin to generate a Q-switching pulse train operating at 1560.2nm. A 7.7-kin-long dispersion compensating fiber with 584 ps.nm-i km-1 of dispersion is used as a nonlinear gain medium. As the pump power is increased from 395 m W to 422 m W, the repetition rate of the Q-switching pulses can be increased from 132.7 to 137.4 kHz while the pulse width is concurrently decreased from 3.35μs to 3.03μs. The maximum pulse energy of 54.3 nJ is obtained at the maximum pump power of 422 roW. These results show that the mechanically exfoliated MoS2 SA has a great potential to be used for pulse generation in Raman fiber laser systems.

Erbium-Doped Zirconia-Alumina Silica Glass-Based Fiber as a Saturable Absorber for High Repetition Rate Q-Switched All-Fiber Laser Generation

We propose and demonstrate a Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） using an erbium-doped zirconia-alumina silica glass-based fiber （Zr-EDF） as a saturable absorber. As a 16-cm-long Zr-EDF is incorporated into a ring EDFL cavity, a stable Q-switching pulse train operating at 1565？nm wavelength is successfully obtained. The repetition rate is tunable from 33.97？kHz to 71.23？kHz by increasing the pump power from the threshold of 26？mW to the maximum of 74？mW. The highest pulse energy of 26.67？nJ is obtained at the maximum pump power.

Q-Switched Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser Using Black Phosphorus as Saturable Absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser （YDFL） using a newly developed multi-layer black phosphorous （BP） saturable absorber （SA）. The BP SA is prepared by mechanically exfoliating a BP crystal and sticking the acquired BP flakes onto a scotch tape. A small piece of the tape is then placed between two ferrules and incorporated in a YDFL cavity to achieve a stable Q-switched operation in a 1.0 μm region. The laser has a pump threshold of 55.1 mW, a pulse repetition rate that is tunable from 8.2 to 32.9 kHz, and the narrowest pulse width of 10.8 μs. The highest pulse energy of 328 nJ is achieved at the pump power of 97.6 mW. Our results show that multi-layer BP is a promising SA for Q-switching laser operation.

Transition Metal Dichalcogenides(WS2 and MoS2)Saturable Absorbers for Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Lasers

We demonstrate an ultrafast fiber laser based on transition metal dichalcogenide materials which are tungsten disulfide (WS2) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as saturable absorber (SA). These materials are fabricated via a simple drop-casting method. By employing WS2, we obtain a stable harmonic mode-locking at the threshold pump power of 184 mW, and the generated soliton pulse has 3.48 MHz of repetition rate. At the maximum pump power of 250 mW, we also obtain a small value of pulse duration, 2.43 ps with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 57 dB. For MoS2 SA, the pulse is generated at 105 mW pump power with repetition rate of 1.16 MHz. However, the pulse duration cannot be detected by the autocorrelator device as the pulse duration recorded is 468 ns, with the SNR value of 35 dB.

Tunable and Switchable Narrow Bandwidth Semiconductor-Saturable Absorber Mirror Mode-Locked Yb-Doped Fiber Laser Delivering Different Pulse Widths

The wavelength-tunable and switchable narrow bandwidth mode-locking operation is demonstrated in an all fiber laser based on semiconductor-saturable absorber mirror （SESAM）. Two narrow-band fiber Bragg gratings centered at 1029.9nm and 1032nm respectively with a polarization controller inserted between them are used to realize the wavelength switchable between 1029.9nm and 1032nm. The laser delivers different pulse widths of 7.5ps for 1030nm and 20ps for 1032nm. The maximum output power for both could reach -6.5mW at single pulse operation. The output wavelength couM be tuned to about 0.gnm intervals ranging from 1030.2nm to 1031.1 nm and from 1032.15nm to 1033.7nm with the temperature change of the fiber Bragg grating, respectively.

Sequential generation of self-starting diverse operations in all-fiber laser based on thulium-doped fiber saturable absorber

Self-starting Q-switching,Q-switched mode-locking and mode-locking operation modes are achieved sequentially in an all-fiber erbium-doped fiber laser with thulium-doped fiber saturable absorber for the first time.The central wavelengths of Q-switching,Q-switched mode-locking and mode-locking operation modes are 1569.7 nm,1570.9 nm,and 1572 nm,respectively.The mode-locking operation of the proposed fiber laser generates stable dark soliton with a repetition rate of 0.99 MHz and signal-to-noise ratio of 65 dB.The results validate the capability of generating soliton pulse by doped fiber saturable absorber.Furthermore,the proposed fiber laser is beneficial to the applications of optical communication and signal processing system.

Cadmium Selenide Polymer Microfiber Saturable Absorber for Q-Switched Fiber Laser Applications

We demonstrate the generation of a Q-switching pulse train in an erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） cavity using a newly developed cadmium selenide （CdSe） based saturable absorber （SA）. The SA is obtained by embedding CdSe nanomaterials into a polymethyl methacrylate （PMMA） microfiber. It is incorporated into an EDFL cavity to generate a Q-switched laser operating at 1533.6nm. The repetition rates of the produced pulse train are tunable within 37–64kHz as the pump power is varied from 34mW to 74mW. The corresponding pulse width reduces from 7.96μs to 4.84μs, and the maximum pulse energy of 1.16nJ is obtained at the pump power of 74mW.

Mode-Locked Thulium Ytterbium Co-Doped Fiber Laser with Graphene Oxide Paper Saturable Absorber

A mode-locked thulium ytterbium co-doped fiber laser （TYDFL） is proposed and demonstrated by using a commercial graphene oxide （GO） paper as saturable absorber （SA）. The GO paper is sandwiched between two fiber ferrules and incorporates a ring laser cavity to generate soliton pulse train operating at 1942.0nm at a threshold multimode pump power as low as 1.8 W. The mode-locked TYDFL has a repetition rate of 22.32 MHz and the calculated pulse width of 1.1 ns. Even though the SA has a low damage threshold, the easy fabrication of GO paper should promote its potentiM application in ultrafast photonics.

Dual-Wavelength Passively Q-Switched Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticle Saturable Absorbers

We report on generation of a dual-wavelength, all-fiber, passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using aluminum oxide nanoparticle （Al2O3-NP） thin film. A thin film of Al2O3 was prepared by embedding Al2O3-NPs into a polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） as a host polymer, and then inserted between two fiber ferrules to act as a saturable absorber （SA）. By incorporating the Al2O3-PVA SA into the laser cavity, a stable dual-wavelength pulse output centered at 1050 and 1060.7nm is observed at threshold pump power of 80mW. As the pump power is gradually increased from 80 to 300mW, the repetition rate of the generated pulse increases from 16.23 to 59 kHz, while the pulse width decreases from 19 to 6μs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration for this type of SA operating in the 1 μm region.

Dual-wavelength rectangular pulse erbium-doped fiber laser based on topological insulator saturable absorber

We reported on the generation of the dual-wavelength rectangular pulse in an erbium-doped fiber laser(EDFL)with a topological insulator saturable absorber.The rectangular pulse could be stably initiated with pulse width from 13.62 to 25.16 ns and fundamental repetition rate of 3.54 MHz by properly adjusting the pump power and the polarization state.In addition,we verified that the pulse shape of the dual-wavelength rectangular pulse can be affected by the total net cavity dispersion in the fiber laser.Furthermore,by properly rotating the polarization controllers,the harmonic mode-locking operation of the dual-wavelength rectangular pulse was also obtained.The dual-wavelength rectangular pulse EDFL would benefit some potential applications,such as spectroscopy,biomedicine,and sensing research.

Switchable dual-wavelength Q-switched fiber laser using multilayer black phosphorus as a saturable absorber

Black phosphorus(BP), with thickness-dependent direct energy bandgaps(0.3–2 eV), shows an enhanced nonlinear optical response at near-and mid-infrared wavelengths. In this paper, we present experimentally multilayer BP flakes coated on microfiber(BCM) as a saturable absorber with a modulation depth of 16% and a saturable intensity of 6.8 MW∕cm^2. After inserting BCM into an Er-doped fiber ring laser, a stable dual-wavelength Q-switched state with central wavelengths of 1542.4 nm and 1543.2 nm(with wavelength spacing as small as 0.8 nm) is obtained with the aid of two cascaded fiber Bragg gratings as a coarse wavelength selector.Moreover, single-wavelength Q-switched operation at 1542.4 nm or 1543.2 nm is also realized, which can be switched between the two wavelengths flexibly just by adjusting the intracavity birefringence. These results suggest that BP combined with the cascaded fiber gratings can provide a simple and feasible candidate for a multiwavelength fiber laser. Our fiber laser may have potential applications in terahertz generation, laser radar,and so on.

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.

Tunable passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser with mechanically exfoliated GaSe saturable absorber

A tunable passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser using few-layer gallium selenide（GaSe） as a saturable absorber（SA） is demonstrated.The few-layer GaSe SA,which is fabricated by the mechanical exfoliation method,is able to generate a Q-switched fiber laser that has a maximum repetition rate of 92.6 kHz and a minimum pulsed width of 2.3 μs.The highest pulse energy exhibited by the generated pulse is 18.8 nJ with a signal to noise ratio of ~40 dB.The tunability of the proposed laser covers from 1042 to 1082 nm,giving a tuning range of 40 nm.

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 roW. At maximum 1480 nm pump power of 33.0 roW, the EDFL generates an optical pulse train with a repetition rate of 27.0 kHz and pulse width of 3.56/as. The maximum pulse energy of 39.4 nJ is obtained at a pump power of 14.9 roW. This laser can be used as a simple and low-cost light source for metrology, environmental sensing, and biomedical diagnostics.

Q-switched ytterbium doped fiber laser using multi-walled carbon nanotubes saturable absorber

A Q-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser （YDFL） is proposed and demonstrated using a newly developed multi-walled carbon nanotubes polyethylene oxide （MWCNTs-PEO） film as a passive saturable absorber （SA）. The saturable absorber is prepared by mixing the MWCNTs homogeneous solution into a dilute PEO polymer solution before it is left to dry at room temperature to produce thin film. Then the film is sandwiched between two FC/PC fiber connectors and integrated into the laser cavity for Q-switching pulse generation. The laser generates a stable pulse operating at wavelength of 1060.2 nm with a threshold pump power of 53.43 mW. The YDFL generates a stable pulse train with repetition rates ranging from 7.92 to 24.27 kHz by varying 980-nm pump power from 53.42 to 65.72 mW. At 59.55-mW pump power, the lowest pulse width and the highest pulse energy are obtained at 12.18 μs and 143.5 n J, respectively.

Femtoseconds soliton mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser based on nickel oxide nanoparticle saturable absorber

We demonstrate a femtosecond mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser（EDFL） using a nickel oxide（Ni O） as a saturable absorber（SA）. Ni O nanoparticles are hosted into polyethylene oxide film and attached to fiber ferrule in the laser cavity. The Ni O-SA shows a 39% modulation depth with a 0.04 MW∕cm^2 saturation intensity. Our ring laser cavity based on erbium-doped active fiber with managed intracavity dispersion has the ability to generate ultrashort pulses with a full width at half-maximum（FWHM） of around 2.85 nm centered at 1561.8 nm.The pulses repeat at a frequency of 0.96 MHz and duration of 950 fs.

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.

Mode-locked 2 μm fiber laser with a multi-walled carbon nanotube as a saturable absorber

We propose and demonstrate a passively mode-locked fiber laser operating at 1951.8 nm using a commercial thulium-doped fiber （TDF） laser, a homemade double-clad thulium-ytterbium co-doped fiber （TYDF） as the gain media, and a multi-walled carbon nanotube （MWCNT） based saturable absorber （SA）. We prepare the MWCNT composite by mixing a homogeneous solution of MWCNTs with a diluted polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） polymer solution and then drying it at room temperature to form a film. The film is placed between two fiber connectors as a SA before it is integrated into a laser ring cavity. The cavity consists of a 2 m long TDF pumped by a 800 nm laser diode and a 15 m long homemade TYDF pumped by a 905 nm multimode laser diode. A stable mode-locking pulse with a repetition rate of 34.6 MHz and a pulse width of 10.79 ps is obtained when the 905 nm multimode pump power reaches 1.8-2.2 W, while the single-mode 800 nm pump power is fixed at 141.5 mW at all times. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported mode-locked fiber laser using a MWCNT-based SA.