Efficient diode-pumped passively Q-switched Er:Lu2O3 laser operation at 2.84 μm was realized. A few-layer MoS2 nanosheet film on a YAG substrate, was fabricated and employed as saturable absorber (SA) in a short plane-plane cavity. Under an absorbed diode laser pump power of 7.61 W, an average output power of 1.03 W was generated with a pulse duration of 335 ns and a repetition rate of 121 kHz, resulting in a pulse energy of 8.5 μJ.

We report on an efficient Er:SrF laser at 2.79 μm. A continuous wave output power of 1.06 W was obtained with a slope efficiency of 41%, significantly exceeding the Stokes efficiency of 35%. Stable Q-switched laser operation was realized by using an ReS saturable absorber, generating an average output power of 0.58 W with a pulse duration of 508 ns at a repetition rate of 49 kHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of 12.1 μJ.

The saturable absorption properties of few-layer graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets near 3 μm were investigated. A stable Q-switched Er:Lu₂O₃ laser at 2.84 μm was realized by using a home-made g-C₃N₄ saturable absorber (SA), generating a pulse duration of 351 ns and an average output power of 1.09 W at a repetition rate of 99 kHz, corresponding to a pulse energy of 11.1 μJ. Our result indicates a great potential of g-C₃N₄ as a new SA in the 3 μm wavelength range.

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A few-layer graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanosheet film on an yttrium aluminum garnet substrate was fabricated and employed as saturable absorber for a passively Q-switched Ho,Pr:LiLuF laser at 2.95 μm. Under an absorbed pump power of 3.89 W at a pump wavelength of 1.15 μm, a maximum average output power of 101 mW was realized with a pulse duration of 420 ns and a repetition rate of 93 kHz. Even shorter pulse durations of 385 ns were obtained at a reduced output coupler transmission.