High repetition rate fiber laser using short cavity with graphene saturable absorber

Abstract

In this study, properties of laser parameters to realize various pulsed laser using graphene saturable absorber has been investigated. The graphene saturable absorber was transferred onto side polished fiber to make interaction between graphene and light propagating in the fiber. Using this device, theoretical and experimental investigation of mode-locking, Q-switching, Q-switched mode-locking was conducted. First, high repetition rate laser has been investigated using mode-locking method. The parameters, that should be considered to get mode-locked laser operation when cavity length is shortened, has been studied, comparing with typical erbium doped fiber ring laser having length of few meters. We expect that this study provides guideline of parameters for shortening cavity length to make high repetition rate mode-locked lasers. Second, mode-locking, Q-switching, Q-switched mode-locking was manipulated in a laser cavity by tuning the modulation depth of graphene saturable absorber optically. Increasing the modulation depth, laser operated in from mode-locking through Q-switched mode-locking to Q-switching. By simulating laser dynamics, it was checked that experimental results are consistent with theoretical expectation.