Passive Q-switching of Yb bulk lasers by a graphene saturable absorber

Compact Yb:KLu(WO4)2 and Yb:LuVO4 lasers diode-pumped at 978 nm are passively Q-switched by a single-layer graphene saturable absorber. The Yb:KLu(WO4)2 laser generated 165 ns/0.49 μJ pulses at 1030 nm with 170 mW average output power and 12 % slope efficiency. With the Yb:LuVO4 laser, 152 ns/0.83 μJ pulses were achieved. The output power reached 300 mW at 1024 nm, and the slope efficiency was 10 %. Laser operation in a plano-plano cavity is achieved with both crystals with thermal lensing playing a key role in their performance. A model describing graphene Q-switched Yb lasers is developed. Our results indicate the potential of graphene for passive Q-switching of ~1 μm bulk lasers.

[1]  U. Griebner,et al.  Graphene Q-switched Yb:KYW planar waveguide laser , 2015 .

[2]  Xavier Mateos,et al.  Prospects of monoclinic Yb:KLu(WO 4 ) 2 crystal for multi-watt microchip lasers , 2015 .

[3]  P. Loiko,et al.  Dispersion and anisotropy of thermo-optic coefficients in tetragonal GdVO(4) and YVO(4) laser host crystals: erratum. , 2015, Applied optics.

[4]  U. Griebner,et al.  Growth, optical characterization, and laser operation of a stoichiometric crystal KYb(WO 4 ) 2 , 2002 .

[5]  Andre K. Geim,et al.  Raman spectrum of graphene and graphene layers. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[6]  N. Peres,et al.  Fine Structure Constant Defines Visual Transparency of Graphene , 2008, Science.

[7]  G. Erbert,et al.  Passively mode-locked Yb:KLu(WO4)2 oscillators. , 2005, Optics express.

[8]  Xavier Mateos,et al.  Thermal lensing in Yb:KLu(WO4)2 crystals cut along the optical indicatrix axes , 2014 .

[9]  P. Loiko,et al.  Dispersion and anisotropy of thermo-optic coefficients in tetragonal GdVO4 and YVO4 laser host crystals. , 2013, Applied optics.

[10]  T. Mocek,et al.  Graphene Q-Switched Compact Yb:YAG Laser , 2015, IEEE Photonics Journal.

[11]  Zhengping Wang,et al.  Dependence of the saturable absorption of graphene upon excitation photon energy , 2015 .

[12]  A. E. Troshin,et al.  Spectroscopy and continuous-wave diode-pumped laser action of Yb3+:YVO4. , 2004, Optics letters.

[13]  Xavier Mateos,et al.  Tm:KLu(WO(4))(2) microchip laser Q-switched by a graphene-based saturable absorber. , 2015, Optics express.

[14]  Xavier Mateos,et al.  Thin-disk Yb:KLu(WO(4))(2) laser with single-pass pumping. , 2008, Optics letters.

[15]  Sida Wu,et al.  Stable nanosecond pulse generation from a graphene-based passively Q-switched Yb-doped fiber laser. , 2011, Optics letters.

[16]  H Schneidewind,et al.  Doubly resonant optical nanoantenna arrays for polarization resolved measurements of surface-enhanced Raman scattering. , 2009, Optics express.

[17]  Xavier Mateos,et al.  Efficient high-power laser operation of Yb:KLu(WO4)2 crystals cut along the principal optical axes. , 2007, Optics letters.

[18]  D. Shepherd,et al.  456-mW graphene Q-switched Yb:yttria waveguide laser by evanescent-field interaction. , 2015, Optics letters.

[19]  D. Shepherd,et al.  Q-switched operation of a pulsed-laser-deposited Yb:Y(2)O(3) waveguide using graphene as a saturable absorber. , 2014, Optics letters.

[20]  Xavier Mateos,et al.  Growth and properties of KLu(WO4)2, and novel ytterbium and thulium lasers based on this monoclinic crystalline host , 2007 .

[21]  Valentin Petrov,et al.  Power scaling of a continuous-wave and passively Q-switched Yb:KLu(WO4)2 laser end-pumped by a high-power diode , 2007 .

[22]  Amol Choudhary,et al.  Graphene Q-Switched Mode-Locked and Q-Switched Ion-Exchanged Waveguide Lasers , 2015, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[23]  Patrick Georges,et al.  Thermo-optic characterization of Yb:CaGdAlO 4 laser crystal , 2014 .

[24]  Zhenhua Ni,et al.  Atomic‐Layer Graphene as a Saturable Absorber for Ultrafast Pulsed Lasers , 2009, 0910.5820.

[25]  Mustafa Lotya,et al.  Graphene incorporated Q-switching of a polarization-maintaining Yb-doped fiber laser , 2012 .

[26]  Yoichi Sato,et al.  The studies of thermal conductivity in GdVO(4), YVO(4), and Y(3)Al(5)O(12) measured by quasi-one-dimensional flash method. , 2006, Optics express.

[27]  M. Jiang,et al.  High-power laser performance of a-cut and c-cut Yb:LuVO 4 crystals , 2006 .

[28]  Hyeonsik Cheong,et al.  Negative thermal expansion coefficient of graphene measured by Raman spectroscopy. , 2011, Nano letters.

[29]  B. Ferrand,et al.  Laser oscillation with low quantum defect in Yb:GdVO4, a crystal with high thermal conductivity. , 2004, Optics letters.