Repository logo
 

Wideband saturable absorption in few-layer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) for Q-switching Yb-, Er- and Tm-doped fiber lasers.


Change log

Authors

Woodward, RI 
Howe, RCT 
Runcorn, TH 

Abstract

We fabricate a free-standing molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) saturable absorber by embedding liquid-phase exfoliated few-layer MoSe2 flakes into a polymer film. The MoSe2-polymer composite is used to Q-switch fiber lasers based on ytterbium (Yb), erbium (Er) and thulium (Tm) gain fiber, producing trains of microsecond-duration pulses with kilohertz repetition rates at 1060 nm, 1566 nm and 1924 nm, respectively. Such operating wavelengths correspond to sub-bandgap saturable absorption in MoSe2, which is explained in the context of edge-states, building upon studies of other semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD)-based saturable absorbers. Our work adds few-layer MoSe2 to the growing catalog of TMDs with remarkable optical properties, which offer new opportunities for photonic devices.

Description

Keywords

physics.optics, physics.optics

Journal Title

Opt Express

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1094-4087
1094-4087

Volume Title

23

Publisher

The Optical Society
Sponsorship
EJRK and TH acknowledge support from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), through RAEng Fellowships.