Femtosecond mode-locking of a fiber laser using a CoSb₃-skutterudite-based saturable absorber

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate an ultrafast mode-locker based on a CoSb 3 skutterudite topological insulator for femtosecond mode-locking of a fiber laser. The mode-locker was implemented on a side-polished fiber platform by depositing a CoSb 3 ∕PVA composite. The measured modulation depth and saturation power for the transverse-electric mode input were ∼5% and ∼8.7 W, respectively, and ∼2.8% and ∼10.6 W for the transverse-magnetic mode input. By incorporating this mode-locker into an erbium-doped fiber-based ring cavity, we were able to readily generate mode-locked, soliton pulses having a pulse width of ∼833 fs at 1557.9 nm. The 3-dB bandwidth of the output pulses and time-bandwidth product were ∼3.44 and 0.353 nm, respectively. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the use of a skutterudite-based saturable absorber for femtosecond mode-locked pulse generation.

Few-Layered Violet Phosphorene Nanostructures as Saturable Absorbers for Stable Soliton Mode-Locking Operations in an Ultrafast Fiber Laser

“…The VP-DSF SA exhibited an obvious saturable absorption response. Furthermore, the measurement data was fitted using eq T = 1 − normalΔ T 0.25em exp ( − I / I s ) − T normaln normals Consequently, estimated modulation depth Δ T , saturation intensity I s , and nonsaturable losses T ns were ∼1.57%, ∼68.1 MW/cm 2 , and ∼84.6%, respectively.…”

A Q-switched fiber laser using a Ti2AlN-based saturable absorber

“…In order to overcome the high costs and complicated fabrication processes inherent to semiconductor-based SAs, a huge number of alternative SA materials with simple fabrication methods have been proposed and their efficacy has also been experimentally verified. Representative SA materials that have been identified recently include carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [3][4][5], graphene [6][7][8], topological insulators [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], transition metal dichalcogenides [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], transition metal monochalcogenides [33], gold nanoparticles [34][35][36], black phosphorus (BP) [37][38][39], skutterudites [40,41], MXenes [42][43][44][45], topological semimetals [46], and tellurium nanostructures [47].…”

A 1.9 µm femtosecond fiber laser using a 3D printed, all-fiberized graphene/polylactic-acid saturable absorber

“…Therefore, a massive number of investigations have examined alternative saturable absorption materials which can over come the drawbacks of III-V compound semiconductors. A variety of nanomaterials have thus been identified as saturable absorption materials: carbon nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes [10-17], graphene oxide [18][19][20][21][22], graphene [12,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], graphite [33][34][35], black phosphorus [36][37][38][39][40], gold nanoparticles [41-44], topological insulators (TIs) [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55], transition metal dichalcogenides [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66], transition metal monochalcogenides [67], skutterudites [68,69], MXene [70,71], and so on. Despite the aforementioned previous invest igations, investigations into alternative saturable absorption materials...…”