Study of a high output coupling ratio Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser using MoS2 saturable absorber

Abstract

In the work here, the performance of a Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser using a MoS2 saturable absorber and operating with a high output coupling ratio has been studied. It is found that the pump conversion efficiency for the higher output coupling ratio is higher in the current setup. Q-switched laser oscillation is observed over the set wavelength range from 1525–1565 nm with a maximum pulse energy of ~0.50 µJ achieved at a pump power of ~83 mW, corresponding to a maximum peak power of ~186 mW. With lower intra-cavity laser intensity achieved using the higher output coupling ratio, the second order absorption of the MoS2 is mitigated. However, scaling of the peak power and pulse energy seems to be limited by the interplay between the pulse duration, pulse energy and repetition rate.