Enhancing Q-Switched Fiber Laser Performance Based on Reverse Saturable and Saturable Absorption Properties of CuCrO2 Nanoparticle-Polyimide Films

We demonstrate CuCrO2 (CCO) nanoparticle (NP)-polyimide (PI) composite film as a saturable absorber (SA) to regulate the output characteristics of passively Q-switched fiber laser at 1.55 mu m. Based on the reverse saturable and saturable absorptions of the CCO NP-PI film, the passively Q-switched fiber laser expressed two stages with the increase of pump power for substantial performance enhancement. Reverse saturation absorption is observed to introduce appropriate cavity loss, which constructs effective pathways for promoting both the modulation depth and over threshold degree, as well as reducing the photon lifetime. In particular, our results realized the pulse duration and repetition rate compressing simultaneously for the first time. The second stage output laser exhibits a peak power of 1016 mW and a single pulse energy of 183 nJ, which are about 88 and 9 times higher than those of the first stage. Furthermore, the optical-optical conversion efficiency is up to 1270%. All of these can evidently demonstrate the importance of the appropriate cavity loss design for optimizing the Q-switched pulse laser output characteristics.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated the use of CuCrO2 nanoparticle-polyimide composite film as a saturable absorber to regulate the output characteristics of a passively Q-switched fiber laser at 1.55 micrometers. By utilizing reverse saturable and saturable absorptions, the laser showed significant performance enhancement with two stages of output. This approach resulted in pulse duration and repetition rate compression simultaneously, highlighting the importance of proper cavity loss design in optimizing Q-switched pulse laser output characteristics.