TiO2-SiO2 Nanocomposite Saturable Absorber for Ultrafast Photonics

A tapered microfiber decorated with titanium dioxide-silicon dioxide nanocomposite saturable absorber (TiO2-SiO2-SA) is demonstrated via alkali fusion method and spin-coating technique. The TiO2-SiO2-SA exhibited 17.1% modulation depth, 31.7 mu J/cm(2) saturation fluence and 35.4% non-saturable loss. The TiO2-SiO2-SA was able to generate a pulse duration of 797 fs at a repetition rate of 10.39 MHz and an average output power of 16.57 mW at 1.56 mu m. This work presents an enhanced pulse duration within titanium-based saturable absorbers. The high damage threshold of beyond 24.82 GW/cm(2) and excellent stability are believed to have opened a new route of using nanomaterials derived from waste product for next generation ultrafast photonic applications.

Automated summary

A tapered microfiber decorated with titanium dioxide-silicon dioxide nanocomposite saturable absorber (TiO2-SiO2-SA) was fabricated using alkali fusion method and spin-coating technique. The TiO2-SiO2-SA showed a modulation depth of 17.1%, a saturation fluence of 31.7 μJ/cm(2), and a non-saturable loss of 35.4%. At a repetition rate of 10.39 MHz and a wavelength of 1.56 μm, the TiO2-SiO2-SA generated a pulse duration of 797 fs and an average output power of 16.57 mW. This work demonstrates an improved pulse duration using titanium-based saturable absorbers and suggests a new route for utilizing nanomaterials derived from waste products in ultrafast photonic applications.