Nonlinear optical response and applications of tin disulfide in the near- and mid-infrared

Layered metal dichalcogenides (LMDs) have received considerable attention in optoelectronics and photonics. Tin disulfide (SnS2) as a member of the LMDs has been employed for transistors, energy storage, and photocatalysts. The optical properties of SnS2 in the ultraviolet and visible regions have been widely investigated, while the applications of SnS2 in the near-and mid-infrared regions are still rare. Here, we demonstrate the nonlinear optical response of layered SnS2 that is exploited as a saturable absorber in the near-and mid-infrared regions. The saturable absorption of SnS2 is measured at 1.06 and 1.55 mu m, which illustrates a low saturable intensity. SnS2 covered on a D-shaped fiber is used to initiate the mode-locking operations in erbium-, ytterbium-, and thulium-doped fiber lasers and ultrafast pulses are achieved at 1.03, 1.56, and 1.91 mu m. These results make SnS2 an appealing candidate for broadband applications across the near-and mid-infrared regions. Published by AIP Publishing.