In recent years, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of a molecule/metal-semiconductor hybrid system has attracted considerable interest and regarded as the synergetic contribution of the electromagnetic and chemical enhancements from the incorporation of noble metal into semiconductor nanomaterials. However, the underlying mechanism is still to be revealed in detail. Herein, we report an irreversible accumulated SERS behavior induced by near-infrared (NIR) light irradiating on a 4-mercaptobenzoic acid linked with silver and silver-doped titanium dioxide (4MBA/Ag/Ag-doped TiO 2) hybrid system. With increasing irradiation time, the SERS intensity of 4MBA shows an irreversible exponential increase, and the Raman signal of the Ag/Ag-doped TiO 2 substrate displays an exponential decrease. A microscopic understanding of the time-dependent SERS behavior is derived based on the microanalysis of the Ag/Ag-doped TiO 2 nanostructure and the molecular dynamics, which is attributed to three factors: (1) higher crystallinity of Ag/Ag-doped TiO 2 substrate; (2) photo-induced charge transfer; (3) chargeinduced molecular reorientation.

Bi-doped BaF 2 crystal was grown by the temperature gradient technique and its spectral properties were investigated. The absorption, emission and excitation spectra were measured at room temperature. Two broadband emissions centered at 1070 and 1500 nm were observed in Bi-doped BaF 2 crystal. This extraordinary luminescence should be ascribed to Bi-related centers at distinct sites. We suggest Bi 2+ or Bi + centers adjacent to F vacancy defects are the origins of the observed NIR emissions. References and links1. L. F. Johnson, R. E. Dietz, and H. J. Guggenheim, " Optical maser oscillation from Ni 2+ in MgF2 involving simultaneous emission of phonons," Phys. Rev. Lett. 11, 318-320 (1963

We demonstrate that codoping Nd:CaF 2 single crystals with Y 3 and Lu 3 nonoptically active ions significantly improves their absorption, emission, and fluorescence lifetime properties and their laser performance. The spectral profiles get smoother and wider, wider than that found with standard Nd:glasses; the quantum yields increase; and efficient laser operation is obtained around 1.055 μm.

Spectroscopic properties of as-grown and gamma-irradiated undoped and Bi-doped alpha-BBO (BaB(2)O(4)) single crystals were investigated. Bi(2+) and color centers in Bi:alpha-BBO crystals were investigated to be nonluminescent in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Broadband NIR luminescence at 1139 nm with a FWHM of 108 nm and a decay time of 526 mus was realized in Bi:alpha-BBO crystal through gamma irradiation. Bi(+) was attributed to be responsible for the NIR emission, which can be bleached by thermal annealing. The involved physical processes in Bi:alpha-BBO crystal during the courses of irradiation and heat annealing were tentatively established.

We have demonstrated a diode-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal laser for the first time to our knowledge. By choosing appropriate Y-doping concentration, a broad fluorescence linewidth of 31 nm has been obtained from the gain linewidth-variable Nd,Y:CaF2 crystal. With the Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal as gain medium, the mode-locked laser generated pulses with pulse duration as short as 103 fs, average output power of 89 mW, and repetition rate of 100 MHz. To our best knowledge, this is the shortest pulse generated from Nd-doped crystal lasers so far. The research results show that the Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal will be a potential alternative as gain medium of repetitive chirped pulse amplification for high-peak-power lasers.

We have investigated the lasing characteristics of Tm:LSO crystal in three operation regimes: continuous wave (CW), wavelength tunable and passive Q-switching based on graphene. In CW regime, a maximum output power of 0.65 W at 2054.9 nm with a slope efficiency of 21% was achieved. With a quartz plate, a broad wavelength tunable range of 145 nm was obtained, corresponding to a FWHM of 100 nm. By using a graphene saturable absorber mirror, the passively Q-switched Tm:LSO laser produced pulses with duration of 7.8 μs at 2030.8 nm under a repetition rate of 7.6 kHz, corresponding to pulse energy of 14.0 μJ.

By using the ultrasound-assisted liquid phase exfoliation method, Bi 2 Te 3 nanosheets are synthesized and deposited onto a quartz plate to form a kind of saturable absorber (SA), in which nonlinear absorption properties around 2 μm are analyzed with a home-made mode-locked laser. With the as-prepared Bi 2 Te 3 SA employed, a stable passively Q-switched all-solid-state 2 μm laser is successfully realized. Q-switched pulses with a maximum average output power of 2.03 W are generated under an output coupling of 5%, corresponding to the maximum single-pulse energy of 18.4 μJ and peak power of 23 W. The delivered shortest pulse duration and maximum repetition rate are 620 ns and 118 kHz under an output coupling of 2%, respectively. It is the first presentation of such Bi 2 Te 3 SA employed in a solid-state Q-switched crystalline laser at 2 μm, to the best of our knowledge. In comparison with other 2D materials suitable for pulsed 2 μm lasers, the saturable absorption performance of Bi 2 Te 3 SA is proved to be promising in generating high power and high-repetitionrate 2 μm laser pulses.

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