Theoretical and experimental investigations on doubly Q-switched Tm:YAP laser with EOM and Sb₂Te₃ nanosheets

Abstract

In this paper, two-dimensional material Sb₂Te₃ nanosheets are fabricated and the optical nonlinear response is investigated. A laser diode (LD) end-pumped doubly Q-switched Tm:YAP laser with electro-optic modulator (EOM) and Sb₂Te₃ nanosheets based saturable absorber (SA) is presented. The shortest pulse duration of 38 ns is achieved at the pulse repetition frequency of 100 Hz, corresponding to the highest peak power of 111.8 kW. The double Q-switching technique shows the advantages of pulse duration compression and peak power improvement. The coupled rate equations for the doubly Q-switched laser are developed and the corresponding numerical simulation agrees with the experimental results. We believe that the Sb₂Te₃ is a potential nanomaterial for the application in optoelectronic field.