Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) oriented along the crystallographic [001] axis are grown by the hydrothermal method on glass substrates. The ZnO NRs exhibit a broadband (1–2 µm) near-IR absorption ascribed to the singly charged zinc vacancy VZn−1. The saturable absorption of the ZnO NRs is studied at ≈1 µm under picosecond excitation, revealing a low saturation intensity, ≈10 kW/cm2, and high fraction of the saturable losses. The ZnO NRs are applied as saturable absorbers in diode-pumped Yb (≈1.03 µm) and Tm (≈1.94 µm) lasers generating nanosecond pulses. The ZnO NRs grown on various optical surfaces are promising broadband saturable absorbers for nanosecond near-IR lasers in bulk and waveguide geometries.
Highlights
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a well-known II–IV group wide-bandgap semiconductor (Eg = 3.37 eV), possessing a hexagonal wurtzitetype
The saturable absorption of the ZnO NRs is studied at ≈1 μm under picosecond excitation, revealing a low saturation intensity, ≈10 kW/cm2, and high fraction of the saturable losses
We demonstrate the suitability of hydrothermally grown, oriented ZnO NRs as saturable absorbers (SAs) for lasers emitting at 1 and 2 μm, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge
Summary
The ZnO NRs grown on various optical surfaces are promising broadband saturable absorbers for nanosecond near-IR lasers in bulk and waveguide geometries. Singh et al studied Mn2+-doped ZnO NRs grown from an aqueous solution on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates which exhibited saturable absorption (optical bleaching) at 0.532 μm under ns-laser excitation [23].
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