A Review on Rhenium Disulfide: Synthesis Approaches, Optical Properties, and Applications in Pulsed Lasers

Rhenium Disulfide (ReS2) has evolved as a novel 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material which has promising applications in optoelectronics and photonics because of its distinctive anisotropic optical properties. Saturable absorption property of ReS2 has been utilized to fabricate saturable absorber (SA) devices to generate short pulses in lasers systems. The results were outstanding, including high-repetition-rate pulses, large modulation depth, multi-wavelength pulses, broadband operation and low saturation intensity. In this review, we emphasize on formulating SAs based on ReS2 to produce pulsed lasers in the visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelength regions with pulse durations down to femtosecond using mode-locking or Q-switching technique. We outline ReS2 synthesis techniques and integration platforms concerning solid-state and fiber-type lasers. We discuss the laser performance based on SAs attributes. Lastly, we draw conclusions and discuss challenges and future directions that will help to advance the domain of ultrafast photonic technology.

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Ultrafast Fiber Lasers with Low-Dimensional Saturable Absorbers: Status and Prospects

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21113676 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3676

Author(s):

Pulak Chandra Debnath ◽

Dong-Il Yeom

Keyword(s):

Fiber Laser ◽

Fiber Lasers ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Modulation Depth ◽

Mode Locking ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Laser Applications ◽

Integration Schemes ◽

Pulsed Fiber Laser ◽

Low Dimensional

Wide-spectral saturable absorption (SA) in low-dimensional (LD) nanomaterials such as zero-, one-, and two-dimensional materials has been proven experimentally with outstanding results, including low saturation intensity, deep modulation depth, and fast carrier recovery time. LD nanomaterials can therefore be used as SAs for mode-locking or Q-switching to generate ultrafast fiber laser pulses with a high repetition rate and short duration in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared wavelength regions. Here, we review the recent development of emerging LD nanomaterials as SAs for ultrafast mode-locked fiber laser applications in different dispersion regimes such as anomalous and normal dispersion regimes of the laser cavity operating in the near-infrared region, especially at ~1550 nm. The preparation methods, nonlinear optical properties of LD SAs, and various integration schemes for incorporating LD SAs into fiber laser systems are introduced. In addition to these, externally (electrically or optically) controlled pulsed fiber laser behavior and other characteristics of various LD SAs are summarized. Finally, the perspectives and challenges facing LD SA-based mode-locked ultrafast fiber lasers are highlighted.

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Low-dimensional saturable absorbers for ultrafast photonics in solid-state bulk lasers: status and prospects

Nanophotonics ◽

10.1515/nanoph-2019-0544 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 2603-2639 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Qianqian Hao ◽

Cong Wang ◽

Wenxin Liu ◽

Xiaoqin Liu ◽

Jie Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solid State ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Mode Locking ◽

Laser Generation ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Ultrashort Pulse Laser ◽

Infrared Wavelength ◽

Power Pulse ◽

Saturable Absorbers ◽

Low Dimensional

AbstractLow-dimensional (LD) materials have originated a range of innovative applications in photonics and optoelectronics owning to their advantages of ultrafast carrier response and distinct nonlinear saturable absorption properties. In particular, these emerging LD materials including zero-, one-, and two-dimensional materials have recently been utilized for short and ultrashort pulse laser generation in the visible, near infrared, and mid-infrared wavelength regions. Here, we review recent progress demonstrating the application of LD materials as versatile, wideband saturable absorbers for Q-switching and mode-locking in all-solid-state lasers. The laser performance in operating wavelength, output power, pulse width, repetition rate, and pulse energy is reviewed. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are suggested.

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Nonlinear Optical Properties of Zirconium Diselenide and Its Ultra-Fast Modulator Application

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano9101419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1419 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Wang ◽

Zheng ◽

Guo ◽

Chen ◽

Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nonlinear Absorption ◽

Modulation Depth ◽

Ring Cavity ◽

Maximum Output Power ◽

Mode Locking ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Maximum Output ◽

Transition Metal Dichalcogenide ◽

Absorption Properties ◽

Zirconium Diselenide

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely studied by researchers due to their exceptional 2D structure and excellent optical characteristics. As one of the typically-layered 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors from group IVB with a bandgap value of 0.9–1.2 eV (bulk to monolayer), the characteristics of zirconium diselenide (ZrSe2) have already been extensively investigated in many fields. However, the nonlinear absorption properties of ZrSe2 in ultra-fast lasers have not been previously demonstrated. In this work, we measured various parameters in order to investigate the characteristics of the nonlinear saturable absorption of ZrSe2. A ZrSe2–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film was successfully prepared, which was employed as a saturable absorber (SA) to demonstrate, for the first time, an erbium (Er)-doped passive mode-locking fiber laser with a ring cavity. The saturation intensity of the ZrSe2–PVA film-type SA is 12.72 MW/cm2, while its modulation depth is 2.3%. The stable soliton state with a maximum output power of 11.37 mW and a narrowest monopulse duration of 12.5 ps at a repetition frequency of 21.22 MHz was detected. The experimental results conclusively proved that ZrSe2, with its suitable bandgap value and excellent nonlinear absorption properties, as well as its high damage threshold, should have extensive potential applications within the field of ultra-fast pulse lasers.

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A Review on Rhenium Disulfide: Synthesis Approaches, Optical Properties, and Applications in Pulsed Lasers

10.20944/preprints202108.0457.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mahmoud Muhanad Fadhel ◽

Norazida Ali ◽

Haroon Rashid ◽

Nurfarhana Mohamad Sapiee ◽

Abdulwahhab Essa Hamzah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Properties ◽

Solid State ◽

Transition Metal ◽

Fiber Type ◽

Transition Metal Dichalcogenide ◽

Pulsed Lasers ◽

Laser Performance ◽

Saturable Absorbers ◽

Synthesis Techniques

Rhenium Disulfide (ReS2) has evolved as a novel 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material which has promising applications in optoelectronics and photonics because of its distinctive anisotropic attributes. In this review, we emphasize on formulating saturable absorbers (SAs) based on ReS2 to produce Q-switched and mode-locked pulsed lasers of diverse operation wavelengths like 1 μm, 1.5 μm, 2 μm, and 3 μm. We outline ReS2 synthesis techniques and integration platforms concerning solid-state and fiber-type lasers. We discuss the laser performance based on SAs attributes. Lastly, we draw conclusions and outlook by recommending additional improvements for SA devices so as to advance the domain of ultrafast photonic technology.

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Atomic Defect Induced Saturable Absorption of Hexagonal Boron Nitride in Near Infrared Band for Ultrafast Lasing Applications

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11123203 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 3203

Author(s):

Chen Cheng ◽

Ziqi Li ◽

Ningning Dong ◽

Rang Li ◽

Jun Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boron Nitride ◽

Density Functional ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Hexagonal Boron Nitride ◽

Modulation Depth ◽

Wide Band ◽

Mode Locking ◽

Laser Generation ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Infrared Band

Defect-induced phenomena in 2D materials has received increasing interest among researchers due to the novel properties correlated with precise modification of materials. We performed a study of the nonlinear saturable absorption of the boron-atom-vacancy defective hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) thin film at a wavelength of ~1 μm and its applications in ultrafast laser generation. The h-BN is with wide band gap of ~6 eV. Our investigation shows that the defective h-BN has a wide absorption band from visible to near infrared regimes. First-principle calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) indicate that optical property changes may be attributed to the boron-vacancy-related defects. The photoluminescence spectrum shows a strong emission peak at ~1.79 eV. The ultrafast Z-scan measurement shows saturable absorbance response has been detected for the defective h-BN with saturation intensity of ~1.03 GW/cm2 and modulation depth of 1.1%. In addition, the defective h-BN has been applied as a new saturable absorber (SA) to generate laser pulses through the passively Q-switched mode-locking configuration. Based on a Nd:YAG waveguide platform, 8.7 GHz repetition rate and 55 ps pulse duration of the waveguide laser have been achieved. Our results suggest potential applications of defective h-BN for ultrafast lasing and integrated photonics.

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Ultrafast mode-locking in highly stacked Ti3C2Tx MXenes for 1.9-μm infrared femtosecond pulsed lasers

Nanophotonics ◽

10.1515/nanoph-2020-0678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1741-1751

Author(s):

Young In Jhon ◽

Jinho Lee ◽

Young Min Jhon ◽

Ju Han Lee

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Density Functional ◽

2D Materials ◽

Density Functional Theory Calculations ◽

Mode Locking ◽

Infrared Range ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Pulsed Lasers ◽

Saturable Absorbers ◽

Layer Stacking

Abstract Metallic 2D materials can be promising saturable absorbers for ultrashort pulsed laser production in the long wavelength regime. However, preparing and manipulating their 2D structures without layer stacking have been nontrivial. Using a combined experimental and theoretical approach, we demonstrate here that a metallic titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx), the most popular MXene 2D material, can have excellent nonlinear saturable absorption properties even in a highly stacked state due to its intrinsically existing surface termination, and thus can produce mode-locked femtosecond pulsed lasers in the 1.9-μm infrared range. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the electronic and optical properties of Ti3C2Tx MXene can be well preserved against significant layer stacking. Indeed, it is experimentally shown that 1.914-μm femtosecond pulsed lasers with a duration of 897 fs are readily generated within a fiber cavity using hundreds-of-layer stacked Ti3C2Tx MXene saturable absorbers, not only being much easier to manufacture than mono- or few-layered ones, but also offering character-conserved tightly-assembled 2D materials for advanced performance. This work strongly suggests that as-obtained highly stacked Ti3C2Tx MXenes can serve as superb material platforms for versatile nanophotonic applications, paving the way toward cost-effective, high-performance photonic devices based on MXenes.

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Passively mode-locked in Er-doped fiber laser based on semi-metallic InBi saturable absorber

Journal of Physics D Applied Physics ◽

10.1088/1361-6463/ac378e ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jianwei Hu ◽

Rong Huang ◽

Ziqiao Wei ◽

Minru Wen ◽

Fugen Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fiber Laser ◽

Modulation Depth ◽

Mode Locking ◽

Nodal Line ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Optical Nonlinearities ◽

Passive Mode ◽

Central Wavelength ◽

Two Dimensional Materials ◽

Er Doped

Abstract Two-dimensional materials have drawn great interest for their applications in mode-locking owning to their unique optical nonlinearities. However, most of these 2D materials are semi-conductor. In this study, a new kind of semimetal Indium bismuth (InBi) is reported which is a topological nodal-line semimetal with exotic physical properties. The InBi nanomaterials was prepared through liquid phase exfoliation method with average thickness of 32.8 nm. The saturable absorption property was measured and passive mode-locking operation was achieved successfully in Er-doped fiber laser. It exhibits a modulation depth of 3.21%, a saturable intensity of 100 MW/cm2, and a pulse width about 859.97 fs corresponding to the central wavelength of 1562.27 nm and 3-dB bandwidth of 2.98 nm. The experimental results open a new avenue for the use of semimetals InBi nanomaterials in lasers and photonics applications.

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Passively harmonic mode-locked fiber laser based on ReS2 saturable absorber

Modern Physics Letters B ◽

10.1142/s0217984917502062 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (18) ◽

pp. 1750206 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Feifei Lu

Keyword(s):

Pump Power ◽

Fiber Laser ◽

Output Power ◽

Saturable Absorber ◽

Repetition Rate ◽

Mode Locking ◽

High Repetition Rate ◽

Pulse Interval ◽

Saturable Absorption ◽

Harmonic Mode

We demonstrate the generation of harmonic mode-locking (HML) in an erbium-doped fiber laser with a microfiber-based rhenium disulfide (ReS2) saturable absorber (SA). Taking advantages of both saturable absorption and large third-order nonlinear effect of ReS2, HML pulse with 318.5 MHz repetition rate can be obtained, corresponding to 168th harmonic of fundamental repetition frequency of 1.896 MHz. When the pump power is increased gradually, the pulse interval remains constant, while the output power increases linearly. At the pump power of 450 mW, the output power is [Formula: see text]12 mW. The proposed high-repetition-rate pulse lasers would attract considerable attention due to its potential applications in soliton communications and frequency combs.

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