A photonic crystal-based broadband graphene saturable absorber

Caoran Shen (1; 2); Saifeng Zhang (1; 2); Ivan M. Kislyakov (1; and 2); Ningning Dong (1; 2); Anton A. Ryzhov (3); Xiaoyan Zhang (1 and; 2); Inna M. Belousova (3); Jean-Michel Nunzi (1; 2; 4); Jun Wang (1 and; 2; 5) ((1) Laboratory of Micro-Nano Photonic; Optoelectronic Materials; and Devices; Shanghai Institute of Optics; Fine Mechanics; Chinese Academy; of Sciences; Shanghai; China; (2) Key Laboratory of Materials for High-Power; Laser; Shanghai Institute of Optics; Fine Mechanics; Chinese Academy of; Sciences; Shanghai; China; (3) Institute for Laser Physics; S. I. Vavilov; State Optical Institute; Saint Petersburg; Russia; (4) Department of Physics,; Engineering Physics; Astronomy; Department of Chemistry; Queens; University; Kingston; Canada; (5) State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser; Physics; Shanghai Institute of Optics; Fine Mechanics; Chinese Academy of; Sciences; Shanghai; China)

arXiv:1808.07668·physics.optics·September 25, 2019

A photonic crystal-based broadband graphene saturable absorber

Caoran Shen (1, 2), Saifeng Zhang (1, 2), Ivan M. Kislyakov (1, and 2), Ningning Dong (1, 2), Anton A. Ryzhov (3), Xiaoyan Zhang (1 and, 2), Inna M. Belousova (3), Jean-Michel Nunzi (1, 2, 4), Jun Wang (1 and, 2, 5) ((1) Laboratory of Micro-Nano Photonic

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TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that embedding graphene into a one-dimensional photonic crystal significantly enhances its nonlinear optical response, reducing the saturation threshold and enabling improved all-optical laser mode-locking.

Contribution

It introduces a novel graphene-polymer photonic crystal with enhanced nonlinear properties for optical applications.

Findings

01

Enhanced nonlinear absorption in graphene PC compared to bulk graphene-polymer

02

Reduced saturable absorption threshold and saturation intensity

03

Potential for advanced laser mode-locking devices

Abstract

The enhanced nonlinear optical response of a one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal (PC) made from polymers and graphene composites is observed. The graphene PC was fabricated by spin-coating. It shows obvious bandgaps at two wavelengths in transmittance. Femtosecond Z-scan measurement at 515 nm and 1030 nm reveals a distinct enhancement in the effective nonlinear absorption coefficient Beff (and imaginary part of third-order dielectric susceptibility ImX(3)) for graphene nanoflakes embedded in the PC, when compared with the bulk graphene-polymer dispersion. The effect is studied in a wide range of laser intensities. The inclusion of graphene into a 1D-PC remarkably decreases the saturable absorption threshold and saturation intensity, providing a desired solution for an advanced all-optical laser mode-locking device.

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