Mode-locked ytterbium-doped all-fiber lasers based on few-layer black phosphorus saturable absorbers

In this paper, we demonstrated ytterbium-doped mode-locked fiber lasers based on saturable absorbers (SAs) made of few-layer black phosphorus (BP) with all normal dispersion. The few-layer BP was prepared with the liquid phase exfoliation method and was deposited onto fiber facets by an optically driven process. By incorporating the BP-SA into an ytterbium-doped fiber cavity, stable mode-locking laser operation in all-normal dispersion region was achieved with a repetition rate of 46.3 MHz. The laser spectrum was centered at 1030.6 nm with a 3 dB bandwidth of 0.11 nm. Maximum output power of 32.5 mW was achieved and showing no signs of saturation.