High-output ∼3 μm MIR pulsed laser enabled by surface state regulation in PtTe2 optical switch.

Mid-infrared (MIR) pulsed lasers operating in the ∼3 μm region play a crucial role in various applications, including molecular spectroscopy, ultrafast molecular imaging, and laser-assisted surgery. Despite recent advancements in MIR gain platforms, a notable technological challenge remains in the absence of an effective optical Q-switch. Here, a remarkable optical Q-switch in the 3 μm region based on a Dirac semimetal PtTe2 saturable absorber is realized. By modulating the surface state of PtTe2, the pulsed laser exhibited an increase in average power, escalating from 521 to 588 mW, accompanied by a significant decrease in pulse width from 368 to 187 ns. Nondegenerate pump–probe measurements showed that the recombination rate of the photocarrier in thinner PtTe2 nanoplates was effectively accelerated, primarily attributed to the substantial increase in surface state density, leading to better saturable absorption performance. As the thickness of the PtTe2 nanoplates decreases, the nonsaturable loss decreases from 12% to 3%, while the modulation depth increases from 6% to 12%. The enhanced ultrafast nonlinear absorption enables flexible modulation of saturation absorption parameters, which endows high-performance MIR pulsed laser generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]