High Repetition Rate All-Solid-State Pulsed 2 μm Laser Based on Selenide Molybdenum Saturable Absorber

Abstract

A kind of saturable absorber (SA) based on layered MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> nanosheets has been fabricated successfully by an ultrasound-assisted liquid phase exfoliation method. The as-prepared MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> SA was characterized and employed as Q-switch in a diode-pumped Tm-doped crystalline all-solid-state laser at around 2 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">μ</i> m. A stable passively Q-switched 2 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">μ</i> m laser with a maximum pulse repetition rate of 158 kHz and a minimum pulse width of 520 ns was successfully realized. A maximum average output power of 1.19 W, corresponding to a maximum pulse energy of 12.7 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">μ</i> J and pulse peak power of 21.8 W, has been obtained. It was the first demonstration of MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> SA in realizing a solid-state 2 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">μ</i> m pulsed laser, to the best of our knowledge. The results confirmed the excellent ability and promising potential of MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> SA as an optical modulator in generating high repetition rate and short pulsed laser at the midinfrared spectral band.