Fabrication and Applications of Heterostructure Materials for Broadband Ultrafast Photonics

Heterostructure materials have attracted increasing attention in optics, medicine, optoelectronics, and electromagnetics, owing to the combination of remarkable properties of various materials. In particular, they have demonstrated the potential to achieve superior performances in ultrafast photonics. In recent years, a variety of ultrafast lasers based on heterostructure materials have been reported, which indicates a promising future in this field. In this review, the main fabrication methods and ultrafast applications of heterostructure materials are summarized. The fabrication methods are divided into mechanical transfer methods and chemical growth methods according to their mechanisms, and the methods and their characteristics are presented in detail. Next, the ultrafast lasers enabled by heterostructure materials in different wavebands as well as their key parameters are systematically introduced. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of heterostructure materials in broadband ultrafast photonics are proposed.