Single-walled carbon nanotubes oust graphene and semiconductor saturable absorbers in Q-switched solid-state lasers at 2 µm. (22nd August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mateos, Xavier; Loiko, Pavel; Choi, Sun Young; Rotermund, Fabian; Aguiló, Magdalena; Díaz, Francesc; Griebner, Uwe; Petrov, Valentin
• Is Part Of: Laser physics letters. Volume 14:Number 9(2017:Sep.)
• Publication Date: 2017-08-22
• Subjects: saturable absorber -- carbon nanotubes -- graphene -- semiconductor absorber -- thulium laser; Lasers -- Periodicals; Physics -- Periodicals; 621.366
• DOI: 10.1088/1612-202X/aa7f17
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1612-2011

Abstract

Abstract: The superior performance of a saturable absorber (SA) based on randomly-oriented single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) operating in the spectral region of their first fundamental transition E 11 over a graphene-SA containing several ( n = 3) carbon layers and a commercial semiconductor SA (SESA) for passive Q -switching of bulk thulium solid-state lasers is demonstrated. Using SWCNT-SA in a compact diode-pumped Tm:KLuW laser, a maximum average output power of 1.36 W is achieved at 1932–1944 nm corresponding to a slope efficiency of 41% and pulse characteristics of 48 ns/5.5 µ J which are superior to that for graphene-SA (123 ns/3.1 µ J) and SESA (61 ns/1.1 µ J). SWCNT-SAs are promising for eye-safe miniature lasers at ~2 µ m generating nanosecond pulses in the MHz repetition frequency range.