MXenes, a new family of two-dimensional materials, were prepared by a selective chemical etching method and the saturation absorption characteristics were measured using the Z-scan method. At 1.06 μm, a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic laser was operated by using MXene Ti3C2Tx as a saturable absorber successfully for the first time. At an absorbed pump power of 4.14 W, the pulse repetition rate was 186 kHz and the minimum pulse width was 359 ns. The maximal peak power and single-pulse energy were 2.04 W and 0.66 μJ respectively. This study demonstrates that MXenes show promise as saturable absorbers in laser technology.
Indium Tin Oxide nanowire arrays (ITO-NWAs), as epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials, exhibit a fast response time and a low saturable absorption intensity, which make them promising photoelectric materials. In this study, ITO-NWAs were successfully fabricated using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, and the saturable absorption properties of this material were characterized in the near-infrared region. Further, passively Q-switched all-solid-state lasers were realized at wavelengths of 1.0, 1.3, and 2.0 µm using the as-prepared saturable absorber (SA). To the best of our knowledge, we present the first application of ITO-NWAs in all-solid-state lasers. The results reveal that ITO-NWAs may be applied as an SA while developing Q-switched lasers and that they exhibit a broad application prospect as broadband saturable absorption materials.
An Er-doped CaF-SrF mixed crystal was grown using the temperature gradient technique, and its laser characteristics were studied. In a compact linear cavity, a continuous-wave output power of 712 mW was obtained with the highest slope efficiency of 41.4%. Using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror, a passive Q-switched mode-locked Er:CaF-SrF laser emitting at 2729.5 nm was demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The maximum average output power of 125 mW was obtained at an absorbed pump power of 1.81 W, and the repetition rate of the Q-switched envelope was 4.17 kHz. The mode-locked pulses in the Q-switched pulse envelope had a repetition rate of 136.3 MHz, and its duration was estimated to be approximately 1.78 ns. These results indicate that the Er-doped CaF-SrF mixed crystal is promising for the development of an ultrafast laser in the mid-infrared regime.
Nd,Gd:CaF 2 single-crystal fibers (SCFs) of various Nd 3+ and Gd 3+ concentrations were grown by a modified temperature gradient technique (TGT) using a home-designed multi-microchannel crucible. Powder and Laue X-ray diffraction measurements indicated the SCFs consist of pure monocrystalline CaF 2 phase. Distributions of rare earth dopants in SCFs are proven to be uniform by both EDS and spectroscopic measurements. Laser diode (LD) pumped continuous-wave (CW) laser output at ∼1.06 μm spectral region of a highest slope efficiency of 42% and a maximum output power of 1.49 W were achieved. Comparison of laser performances between Nd,Gd:CaF 2 SCFs and bulk crystal was analyzed, indicating the potential of fluoride SCFs in high-power laser applications.
Indium tin oxide nanocolumns array (ITO-NCs-A), a typical epsilon-near-zero material, was prepared by chemical vapor deposition method. Due to the strong third-order optical nonlinearity and large refractive index change of the ITO-NCs-A at ~1.06 µm, we used it as a passively Q-switched device and obtained a stable 1.06 µm Nd:BGO pulsed laser for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The maximum average output power is 152 mW, the maximum repetition rate is 126.1 kHz, the shortest pulse width is 579.6 ns, and the corresponding single pulse energy and pulse peak power are 1.21 µJ and 2.08 W, respectively. This work indicates that ITO-NCs-A has promising applications in ultrafast photonics and is expected to provide a more reliable solution for optical modulators in pulsed lasers.
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