Shenyu Dai

2.78 μm passively Q-switched Er3+-doped ZBLAN fiber laser based on PLD-Fe2+:ZnSe film

Based on the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method, we first fabricated a mid-infrared Fe2+:ZnSe film saturable absorber (SA). By employing the PLD Fe2+:ZnSe film SA, we have demonstrated a passively Q-switched double-clad Er3+-doped ZBLAN fiber laser operating at a wavelength of 2.78 μm. Stable Q-switched pulses with pulse energy of 7.98 μJ and pulse duration of 0.742 μs, corresponding to a peak power of 10.76 W, were obtained at a repetition rate of 102.94 kHz. The maximum average output power is 822 mW. Our results demostrate that the PLD-Fe2+:ZnSe film SA is promising for high power pulse generation in compact mid-infrared fiber lasers.

Random lasing from Rhodamine 6G doped ethanediol solution based on the cicada wing nanocones

Random lasing from Rhdomaine 6G (Rh6G) doped ethanediol solution based on the cicada wing nanostructures as scatterers has been demonstrated. The optical positive feedback of the random laser is provided by these nanocones on the cicada wing, where the scale of the nanocones and the distance between them is about 150 nm and 200 nm, respectively. Al-coated reflector has been introduced to reduce the loss of the pump energy from the bottom, and moreover lower the laser threshold, which is about 126.0 μJ/pulse. Due to the liquid gain medium, the lifetime of this random laser is longer than conventional random lasers. This random laser shows the potential applications in biological random laser and photonic devices.

Fabrication of microhole arrays on coated silica sheet using femtosecond laser

Abstract. A femtosecond (fs) laser beam machining method has been proposed to improve the quality of micromachining. At first, the coated silica sheet is prepared by pulsed laser deposition, then the coated silica is processed by the fs laser. After that, the aluminum film on a fused silica sheet is cleared out by hydrochloric acid (HCl) in a solution of 10%, and then the microhole array is formed on the silica which has better morphologies. Additionally, some mathematical models are constructed to analyze the diffusion of vapors and reflection of shock waves during the machining process. The theoretical results show that the aluminum film can effectively decrease the pressure gradient of the vapors and the reflection of shock wave pressure on the fused silica during the machining process. The simulation is consistent with experimental results. Finally, coating with a film or not has a great influence on the quality of micromachining, but the types of coating films have little influence. In a word, it is an excellent choice to improve the quality of fs laser processing by coating with a film on a fused silica sheet.

Mid-infrared Fe2+:ZnSe semiconductor saturable absorber mirror for passively Q-switched Er3+-doped ZBLAN fiber laser

A mid-infrared (mid-IR) semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) based on Fe2+:ZnSe for passively Q-switched Er3+-doped ZBLAN fiber laser has been demonstrated. Fe2+:ZnSe SESAM was fabricated by electron beam evaporation method. Fe2+ was innovatively doped into the reflective Bragg stack, in which ZnSe layer served as both doped matrix and high refractive layer during the fabricating process. By using the Fe2+:ZnSe SESAM, stable passively Q-switched pulses with the minimum pulse width of 0.43 μs under a repetition rate of 160.82 kHz were obtained. The recorded maximum average output power of 873 mW with a peak power of 12.59 W and pulse energy of 5.43 μJ were achieved. The results demonstrated a new method for fabricating Fe2+:ZnSe SESAM, which can be used in compact mid-IR Q-switched fiber laser.

Asymmetric structured microfiber-based temperature sensor

Abstract. A temperature sensor formed by a cascaded sphere and an abrupt taper, together in a standard single-mode fiber, was developed. The dip of the measured spectrum signal shifted obviously when the surrounding temperature changed. Measurement sensitivity to 18.36  pm/°C was shown with the surrounding temperature ranging from 35°C to 395°C. Due to its compact size and all-fiber configuration, the proposed sensor has the advantages of simplicity and low-cost fabrication, thus the device would find potential applications in sensing fields.