Passively synchronized Q-switched and mode-locked dual-band Tm3+:ZBLAN fiber lasers using a common graphene saturable absorber.
Dual-band fiber lasers are emerging as a promising technology to penetrate new industrial and medical applications from their dual-band properties, in addition to providing compactness and environmental robustness from the waveguide structure. Here, we demonstrate the use of a common graphene saturable absorber and a single gain medium (Tm3+:ZBLAN fiber) to implement (1) a dual-band fiber ring laser with synchronized Q-switched pulses at wavelengths of 1480 nm and 1840 nm, and (2) a dual-band fiber linear laser with synchronized mode-locked pulses at wavelengths of 1480 nm and 1845 nm. Q-switched operation at 1480 nm and 1840 nm is achieved with a synchronized repetition rate from 20 kHz to 40.5 kHz. For synchronous mode-locked operation, pulses with full-width at half maximum durations of 610 fs and 1.68 ps at wavelengths of 1480 nm and 1845 nm, respectively, are obtained at a repetition rate of 12.3 MHz. These dual-band pulsed sources with an ultra-broadband wavelength separation of ~360 nm will add new capabilities in applications including optical sensing, spectroscopy, and communications.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 0E9, Canada.
Chenglai
C
Jia
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
Bhavin J
BJ
Shastri
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 0E9, Canada.
Nurmemet
N
Abdukerim
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 0E9, Canada.
Martin
M
Rochette
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
Paul R
PR
Prucnal
Thorlabs, Inc., 56 Sparta Ave., Newton, NJ, 07860, USA.
Mohammed
M
Saad
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 0E9, Canada.
Lawrence R
LR
Chen