A black phosphorus-based tunable Q-switched ytterbium fiber laser

• Main Authors: Ahmad, Harith, Salim, M.A.M., Thambiratnam, K., Norizan, S.F., Harun, Sulaiman Wadi
• Format: Article
• Published: John Wiley & Sons 2016
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QC Physics; TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/18097/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1612-2011/13/9/095103

A compact, passively Q-switched fiber laser with a tunable output is demonstrated. The proposed system uses a short length ytterbium doped fiber to create a very stable and compact optical circuit that uses black phosphorus (BP) as a saturable absorber to generate the desired short pulses. A stable Q-switch pulse train is obtained, with an operational wavelength range from 1056.6-1083.3 nm. Concurrently, a maximum pulse energy and minimum pulse width as well as a repetition rate range of 7.1 nJ, 4 μs and 6.0-44.8 kHz respectively was obtained. The proposed system will be able to cater to a multitude of applications that require a compact yet robust and cost-effective pulse laser.