Using Reduced Graphene Oxide to Generate Q-Switched Pulses in Er-Doped Fiber Laser**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 61705183, the Central University Special Fund Basic Research and Operating Expenses under Grant No GK201702005, the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province under Grant No 2017JM6091, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant

Abstract

Using the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a saturable absorber (SA) in an Er-doped fiber (EDF) laser cavity, we obtain the Q-switching operation. The rGO SA is prepared by depositing the GO on fluorine mica (FM) using the thermal reduction method. The modulation depth of rGO/FM is measured to be 3.2%. By incorporating the rGO/FM film into the EDF laser cavity, we obtain stable Q-switched pulses. The shortest pulse duration is 3.53 μs, and the maximum single pulse energy is 48.19 nJ. The long-term stability of working is well exhibited. The experimental results show that the rGO possesses potential photonics applications.