Study of a high output coupling ratio Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser using MoS₂ saturable absorber

In the work here, the performance of a Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser using a MoS₂ saturable absorber and operating with a high output coupling ratio has been studied. It is found that the pump conversion efficiency for the higher output coupling ratio is higher in the current setup. Q-switched laser oscillation is observed over the set wavelength range from 1525-1565 nm with a maximum pulse energy of ∼0.50 μJ achieved at a pump power of ∼83 mW, corresponding to a maximum peak power of ∼186 mW. With lower intra-cavity laser intensity achieved using the higher output coupling ratio, the second order absorption of the MoS₂ is mitigated. However, scaling of the peak power and pulse energy seems to be limited by the interplay between the pulse duration, pulse energy and repetition rate.