Optical modulation characteristics of zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) in the near infrared regime

Abstract

We report the passively Q-switched (PQS) operation in the near infrared (NIR) regime with as-prepared zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) as saturable absorbers (SAs) for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Based on the excellent saturable absorption properties of the as-prepared ZIF-67, passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO₄ lasers were achieved operating at ⁴F_3/2→²I_11/2 and ⁴F_3/2→²I_13/2 transitions. The stable Q-switched laser's pulses with a pulse width of 120 ns at a repetition rate of 566 kHz and a pulse width of 108 ns at a repetition rate of 415 kHz were obtained, corresponding to the transition ⁴F_3/2→²I_11/2 at 1 µm and the transition ⁴F_3/2→²I_13/2 at 1.3 µm, respectively. The results indicate that the ZIF-67 saturable absorber with the advantages of large modulation depth and high thermal stability is a promising saturable absorber candidate for the NIR pulse generation.