Multilayer graphene for Q-switched mode-locking operation in an erbium-doped fiber laser

We report the laser operation of Q-switched mode-locking (QML) in an erbium-doped fiber laser by using a multilayer graphene saturable absorber (SA), which consists of 22-layer of graphene fabricated by the chemical vapor deposition method. Based on our balanced twin detector measurement, the graphene sample is confirmed to show a saturable intensity of 3.375 MW/cm2 and an absolute modulation depth of 40.27%. It is demonstrated that this graphene SA can readily produce high quality QML pulses. At the pump power of 391.9 mW, the stable mode-locked pulse train with the Q-switched envelope repetition rate of 16.98 kHz and the envelope width of 13.84μs are achieved. The maximal main pulse peak power can reach up to 35.89 W. This verifies that the multilayer graphene can be still applied as an effective saturable absorber for passively Q-switched mode-locked operation.