2 mu m passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber lasers with Ta2AlC-deposited tapered and side-polished fibers
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-28-2021
Abstract
In this work, mode-locked thulium-doped fiber lasers operating in the 2 mu m wavelength region were demonstrated using tantalum aluminum carbide (Ta2AlC)-based saturable absorbers (SAs) utilizing the evanescent wave interaction. The Ta2AlC MAX Phase was prepared by dissolving the Ta2AlC powder in isopropyl alcohol and then deposited onto three different evanescent field-based devices, which were the tapered fiber, side-polished fiber, and arc-shaped fiber. Flame-brushing and wheel-polishing techniques were used to fabricate the tapered and arc-shaped fibers, respectively, while the side-polished fiber was purchased commercially. All three SA devices generated stable mode-locked pulses at center wavelengths of 1937, 1931, and 1929 nm for the tapered, side-polished, and arc-shaped fibers. The frequency of the mode-locked pulses was 10.73 MHz for the tapered fiber, 9.58 MHz for the side-polished fiber, and 10.16 MHz for the arc-shaped fiber. The measured pulse widths were 1.678, 1.734, and 1.817 ps for each of the three SA devices. The long-term stability of the mode-locked lasers was tested for each configuration over a 2-h duration. The lasers also showed little to no fluctuations in the center wavelengths and the peak optical intensities, demonstrating a reliable, ultrafast laser system.
Keywords
Ultrafast laser system, High power, Saturable Absorber, Pulse Generation
Funders
Universiti Malaya (RK021-2019) (RU002-2020) (TOP100PRC),Ministry of Higher Education Grant HiCoE Phase II
Publication Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
11
Issue
1
Publisher
Nature Research
Publisher Location
HEIDELBERGER PLATZ 3, BERLIN, 14197, GERMANY