Q-switched pulse generation with lutetium oxide absorber

A lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) film was proposed and demonstrated for Q-switching operation at 1.55 µm region. It was obtained by solving Lu2O3 powder into isopropyl alcohol and mixing the solution into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution to form a composite precursor solution via stirring, sonicating, and centrifuging processes. The thin film was formed through a drop and dry process and a small piece of this film was integrated into erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) cavity to modulate the cavity loss via Q-switching mechanism for pulse generation. The Q-switched laser operated at 1 565 nm with the repetition rate of 75.26 kHz as the pump power was raised to the maximum value of 145.83 mW. The maximum pulse energy of 41.85 nJ was recorded at 145.83 mW pump power. The mode-locked pulse operated at 968.5 kHz with a pulse width of 510 ns was also realized in an extended EDFL cavity. The simple and cost-effective laser should have various applications including material processing, sensing and biomedical areas.