Graphene Q-switched Tm:KY(WO4)2 waveguide laser. (14th February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kifle, E; Mateos, X; Loiko, P; Yumashev, K; Yasukevich, A; Petrov, V; Griebner, U; Aguiló, M; Díaz, F
• Is Part Of: Laser physics. Volume 27:Number 4(2017:Apr.)
• Publication Date: 2017-02-14
• Subjects: waveguide lasers -- passive Q-switching -- graphene -- thulium; Lasers -- Periodicals; 621.36605
• DOI: 10.1088/1555-6611/aa5c15
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1054-660X

Abstract

Abstract: We report on the first Tm 3+ -doped double tungstate waveguide laser passively Q-switched by a graphene saturable absorber using a 12.4 µ m-thick 3 at.% Tm:KY0.58 Gd0.22 Lu0.17 (WO4 )2 epitaxial layer grown on a (0 1 0)-oriented pure KY(WO4 )2 substrate. This laser generated 5.8 nJ/195 ns pulses at 1831.8 nm corresponding to a pulse repetition frequency of 1.13 MHz. These are the shortest pulses achieved in passively Q-switched Tm waveguide lasers. The laser slope efficiency was 9% and the Q-switching conversion efficiency reached 45%. Graphene is promising for the generation of ns pulses at ~2 µ m in Tm 3+ -doped double tungstate waveguide lasers operating in the MHz-range.