Q-switched Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Incorporating Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Saturable Absorber

Abstract

We demonstrate the generation of Q-Switched erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) by employing a multi-walled carbon nanotubes-polyvinyl alcohol (MWCNTs-PVA) as a saturable absorber (SA). The SA was prepared by embedding MWCNTs into PVA via stirring and ultrasonication. A stable Q-Switched pulse train operating at 1559.4 nm was successfully generated by employing MWCNTs-PVA SA into a laser cavity. The repetition rate and pulse width of the laser were 52.85-151.9 kHz and 6.313-2.395 μs, respectively. The maximum output power and maximum peak power obtained are 52 μW and 142.94 μW, respectively at a pump power of 63 mW. This demonstration proves that the MWCNTs-PVA based SA is suitable for the generation of Q-Switched fiber laser at 1.55 μm region.