In₂Se₃ nanosheets with broadband saturable absorption used for near-infrared femtosecond laser mode locking

Indium selenide (In₂Se₃) has attracted tremendous attention due to its favorable electronic features, broad tunable bandgap, high stability and other attractive properties. However, its further applications for nonlinear optics have not yet been fully explored. In this work, we demonstrate that few-layer α-In₂Se₃ nanosheets exhibit strong saturable absorption properties over a wide wavelength range covering 800, 1064 and 1550 nm. The few-layer α-In₂Se₃ nanosheets used for this experiment are fabricated via a simple ultrasonic exfoliation in liquid. Stable ultrafast mode-locking laser pulses are obtained from both ytterbium-doped and erbium-doped fiber laser systems operating at 1064 and 1550 nm, respectively. A pulse duration as short as 215 fs was achieved in the Er-doped fiber laser system. Stable output pulses over 6 h of operation were obtained in both laser systems. The pulse energy and peak power of the laser output pulses were increased by reducing the In₂Se₃ thickness. These results indicate that α-In₂Se₃ nanosheets with low layer numbers are promising candidates for broad ultrafast photonics devices, such as optical switchers, Q-switchers and mode lockers.