\(Q\) -Switched Mode-Locked Nd:YVO₄Laser by Topological Insulator Bi₂Te₃Saturable Absorber

Abstract

By using a reflection type of topological insulator Bi <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> Te <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> as saturable absorber that was prepared by a hydrothermal intercalation/exfoliation method, we have demonstrated the stable Q-switched mode-locked operation of Nd:YVO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> solid-state laser. Its maximum output power can reach up to 247 mW with respect to the absorbed pump power of 6.39 W. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for passively Q-switched mode-locking Nd:YVO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> solid-state laser at 1-μm wavelength using a topological insulator Bi <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> Te <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> as saturable absorber. In the experiment, we have also observed the stable Q-switched operation with pulse width as short as 2 μs, output power 183 mW, and repetition rate up to 151.5 kHz.