2 μm passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber lasers with Ta2AlC-deposited tapered and side-polished fibers

In this work, mode-locked thulium-doped fiber lasers operating in the 2 µm wavelength region were demonstrated using tantalum aluminum carbide (Ta2AlC)-based saturable absorbers (SAs) utilizing the evanescent wave interaction. The Ta2AlC MAX Phase was prepared by dissolving the Ta2AlC powder in isopropyl alcohol and then deposited onto three different evanescent field-based devices, which were the tapered fiber, side-polished fiber, and arc-shaped fiber. Flame-brushing and wheel-polishing techniques were used to fabricate the tapered and arc-shaped fibers, respectively, while the side-polished fiber was purchased commercially. All three SA devices generated stable mode-locked pulses at center wavelengths of 1937, 1931, and 1929 nm for the tapered, side-polished, and arc-shaped fibers. The frequency of the mode-locked pulses was 10.73 MHz for the tapered fiber, 9.58 MHz for the side-polished fiber, and 10.16 MHz for the arc-shaped fiber. The measured pulse widths were 1.678, 1.734, and 1.817 ps for each of the three SA devices. The long-term stability of the mode-locked lasers was tested for each configuration over a 2-h duration. The lasers also showed little to no fluctuations in the center wavelengths and the peak optical intensities, demonstrating a reliable, ultrafast laser system.

Tunable Narrow-Linewidth Ring Laser Based on the Polarization Conversion in a Tapered Fiber-Coupled Whispering Gallery Mode Resonator

Based on the polarization conversion in a tapered fiber-coupled whispering gallery mode (WGM) system, a simple-structured narrow linewidth band-pass filter was fabricated and a narrow linewidth ring laser was demonstrated. With a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to further select the resonant mode, the ring laser could be in the single-longitudinal-mode with the linewidth about 6 kHz and its wavelength could be tuned from 1540.10 nm to 1570.01 nm. Benefit from the dense modes in the WGM resonator, high conversion efficiency, and better stability of the structure, a tunable dual-wavelength laser could be achieved based on two FBGs with different resonant wavelengths. The configuration of the proposed laser is simple and stable, which will benefit its applications in the future.