A 1.0-µm pulsed generation in ytterbium-doped fiber laser with Gadolinium oxide as a saturable absorber

Abstract

A passively Q-switched and mode-locked laser was successfully demonstrated, the saturable absorber based on Gadolinium oxide was inserted into the ytterbium-doped fiber laser to generate pulses at the 1.0 µm region. By adjusting the pump power of the laser to 146.46 mW, the laser resonator generates a Q-switched pulse at the center wavelength of 1033.84 nm. The maximum achievable pump power of 175.83 mW has produced a 6.93 µs pulse width, 71.43 kHz repetition rate, and 6.23 nJ pulse energy. Later, the incorporation of a 200 m single-mode fiber has triggered a self-started mode-locked laser. The pulse centered at the peak wavelength of 1033.54 nm. The generated pulse was in the range of 146.46 mW to 183.18 mW with a repetition rate of 0.98 MHz. These results proved an outstanding non-linear optical property of Gadolinium oxide, which offers its compatibility with a near-infrared photonics device.