Mode-locked operation with 9kW peak power using Au nanoparticles saturable absorber

• Main Authors: Rosol, A. H. A., Mahyuddin, M. B. H., Musa, N., Aziz, M. S. A., Khudus, M. I. M. A., Yasin, M., Harun, S. W.
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 2021
• Subjects: QC Physics
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/95480/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijleo.2020.165976

A passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) was successfully demonstrated by using gold (Au) nanoparticles as saturable absorber (SA). The Au nanoparticles were mixed with Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution and the mixed solution was dripped onto the fiber ferrule and left to dry to form a SA device by connecting with another fresh ferrule. By incorporating the SA into an EDFL cavity, stable passively mode-locked pulse train was realized as the 980 nm pump was set within a pump power range from 45 to 145 mW. The laser operated at 1563 nm with a pulse width of 2.85 ps and repetition rate of 0.99 MHz. A maximum peak power of 9 kW was achieved at a pump power of 145 mW.