Tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles as a saturable absorber for a Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser

Abstract

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser using a tin(IV) oxide (SnO 2 ) nanoparticle layer as a saturable absorber. A SnO 2 nanoparticle is composited with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form thin saturable absorber film and is sandwiched between fiber ferrules in a ring fiber laser cavity to produce stable, self-started Q-switched laser operation. Q-switched pulsing occurs for pump power between 38 mW and 106 mW. Repetition rate of the laser increases with pump power from 35.4 kHz to 65.6 kHz and the pulse width narrows from 7.64 µs to 2.92 µs. The maximum pulse energy and average output power achieved are 72.11 nJ and 4.73 mW, respectively. Utilizing a tunable bandpass filter, tunable Q-switched laser operation across the C-band (1521 nm-1565 nm) is demonstrated. The laser output is stable across the entire tuning range.

Laser radiation effect on microstructural, linear, and nonlinear optical characteristics of Sn0.04Co0.06O2 nanostructured films

“…Further, several computer simulations were performed to enhance the χ ð3Þ value of SnO 2 films. 32,33 El-Hagary et al 34 studied the nonlinear optical properties of Co-doped SnO 2 nanocrystalline films with different Co concentrations, confirming their candidate for optoelectronic applications. Such materials are usually referred to as transparent conductive oxides (TCOs).…”

“…studied the influences of oxygen ratio in the SnO2 thin films on the χ(3) values. Further, several computer simulations were performed to enhance the χ(3) value of SnO2 films 32 , 33 . El-Hagary et al 34 .…”

Tin oxide as a Q‐switcher in an Nd‐doped fiber laser

“…SnO 2 has been reported to be used in different forms such as sol‐gel, 29 and thin film prepared by drop‐casting 30 and electron beam evaporation. Furthermore, SnO 2 has been reported to act as SA in an EDFL cavity in 30,31 . This paper reports the usage of SnO 2 as SA for the NDFL cavity.…”

“…Furthermore, SnO 2 has been reported to act as SA in an EDFL cavity in. 30,31 This paper reports the usage of SnO 2 as SA for the NDFL cavity. We observed a stable output pulse train with a high SNR of 46.4 dB.…”

Dispersion stability of tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles in polar solvents and water aided by ultrasonication

“…[18][19][20] Besides, SnO 2 is found to have high third order optical nonlinearity, 21) making it suitable also for optoelectronics applications such as LEDs, optical logic gates and saturable absorber in Q-switching of fiber laser. [22][23][24][25] For better control and tailor-making its optical and electrical properties for the above-mentioned applications, SnO 2 NPs should have a small grain size with large surface area, which is critical for improved surface functionalization. For this purpose, SnO 2 is usually dispersed in a liquid medium to prevent agglomeration and made into thin films 26,27) -an interface suited for many other potential applications such as flexible and printed electronics.…”