Cu12Sb4S13 nanocrystals as absorbers for a diode-pumped Tm,La:CaF2 2 μm Q-switched laser

Cu12Sb4S13 nanocrystals were successfully grown via thermal implantation and applied in a solid-state pulsed laser for the first time. By applying Cu12Sb4S13 as an saturable absorber, a stable passively Q-switched Tm,La:CaF2 laser was obtained at 2 μm. Under an absorbed pumped power of 3.79 W, an average output power of 445 mW was generated with a maximum repetition rate of 26.85 kHz and pulse width of 1.24 μs, corresponding to a peak power of 11.75 W and pulse energy of 15.29 μJ. The results demonstrate the potential of Cu12Sb4S13 nanocrystals as economical, practical, and flexible band-gap saturable absorbers.