Passively Q-switched and Q-switched mode-locked Nd:Lu0.15Y0.85VO4 lasers at 1.34 μm with a nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide saturable absorber

A nickel-cobalt (NiCo) layered double hydroxide (LDH) saturable absorber (SA) was successfully fabricated and utilized as a passively mode-locked (PML) laser modulator for the first time. We successfully investigated a 1.34 mu m passively Q-switched (PQS) and Q-switched mode-locked (QML) laser operation of Nd:Lu0.15Y0.85VO4 mixed crystal with NiCo-LDH SA, respectively. A stable pulse sequence with a narrowest pulse width of 52 ns and a repetition frequency of 1.18 MHz was obtained, leading to a single pulse energy of 0.72 mu J. Furthermore, for the QML laser operation, an average power of 1.10 W and a calculated pulse width of 25 ps were gained with a repetition frequency of 134 MHz. The results indicate the NiCo-LDH SA has remarkable nonlinear optical properties and promising application prospects in the field of laser modulators at 1.3 mu m. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

In this study, a nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide saturable absorber was fabricated and utilized as a passively mode-locked laser modulator for the first time. The experiment demonstrated its effectiveness in a 1.34 μm laser operation and showcased its remarkable nonlinear optical properties and application prospects.