Wideband tunable graphene-based passively Q-switched Tm:YAP laser

Abstract

We investigate the characteristics of a graphene Q-switched Tm:YAP laser operating in a wavelength tunable regime. By using a volume Bragg grating (VBG) as the intra-cavity wavelength selection element, and graphene as the saturable absorber (SA), a tunable Q-switched Tm:YAP laser was realized with a continuous tunable wavelength range from 1965.2 to 2000.7 nm. Through careful alignment of the VBG and the graphene SA in coordination, stable pulsed laser operations were achieved at this wavelength range. A maximum output power of 920 mW was obtained at a wavelength of 1989.3 nm, corresponding to a pulse duration of 2.1 μs, a repetition rate of 91.6 kHz and a single pulse energy of 10.1 μJ.