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Large-area tungsten disulfide for ultrafast photonics
Peiguang Yan1, Hao Chen1, Jinde Yin1
1Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Laser Engineering, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Nanhai Avenue 3688, Shenzhen 518060, China. yanpg@szu.edu.cn scruan@szu.edu.cn.
Nanoscale
|January 18, 2017
Summary
Few-layered tungsten disulfide (WS₂) was used as a saturable absorber (SA) in fiber laser systems. This WS₂ SA achieved high performance for ultrafast pulse generation, setting a new record for average output power in such systems.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Ultrafast Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) possess excellent nonlinear optical properties, making them promising for optoelectronic applications.
- TMDs are particularly valuable as saturable absorbers (SAs) for generating ultrafast pulse trains in fiber laser systems.
- Integrating TMDs into fiber laser systems presents challenges that limit their practical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of large-area, few-layered tungsten disulfide (WS₂) as a saturable absorber (SA) in erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) systems.
- To evaluate the nonlinear optical properties of WS₂ and its performance in generating ultrafast soliton pulses.
- To demonstrate the potential of WS₂ as a high-performance optical modulation material for ultrafast photonics.
Main Methods:
- Large-area, few-layered WS₂ was directly transferred onto the facet of a fiber optic pigtail to serve as a saturable absorber (SA).
- The WS₂ SA was integrated into an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) system for ultrafast pulse generation.
- The nonlinear optical characteristics of the WS₂ SA and the performance of the generated soliton pulses were measured and analyzed.
Main Results:
- The WS₂ SA demonstrated significant nonlinear optical properties, including a modulation depth of 15.1% and a saturable intensity of 157.6 MW cm⁻².
- Ultrafast soliton pulses with an ultrashort duration of 1.49 ps, high stability of 71.8 dB, and an average output power of 62.5 mW were successfully generated.
- The achieved average output power for mode-locked pulse trains using TMD materials in fiber laser systems represents a new record.
Conclusions:
- Atomically large-area WS₂ can function as an excellent optical modulation material for ultrafast photonics applications.
- The developed WS₂ SA offers high performance and stability for generating ultrafast pulses in fiber laser systems.
- This work highlights the potential of WS₂ for advancing ultrafast laser technologies and optoelectronic devices.
