C-band tunable performance of passively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser using Tin(IV) oxide as a saturable absorber

• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2019.02.068
• Publication Date: 2019-02-28T12:49:23Z
• Authors: N.A. Siddiq; W.Y. Chong; Y.H. Pramono; M.S. Muntini; H. Ahmad
• Keywords: Saturable absorption; Q-switching; Ytterbium; Pulse duration; Erbium

Abstract We report on the detailed study of wavelength tunability of passively Q-switched erbium doped fiber laser using Tin(IV) Oxide (SnO2) as saturable absorber (SA). As a typical n-type semiconductor, SnO2 has been widely used in gas sensors, oxidation catalyst, transparent conductor, and electrode materials in solar cell. Herein, we fabricated saturable absorber by compositing SnO2 nanoparticle with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The SnO2-SA is incorporated in the laser cavity by sandwiching it between two fiber ferrules. Q-switched laser operation can be continuously tuned from 1521 to 1565 nm, with a wavelength tuning range of up to 45 nm, covering almost the entire C-band. Q-switched pulse parameters such as repetition rate, average power, pulse width, pulse energy, and peak power at different wavelengths were studied in detail. Our experimental results suggest that the SnO2-SA is a suitable and cost-effective solution for broadband tunable laser applications with relatively simple fabrication process.