Synthesis of graphene and its application as wide-band saturable absorbers

In this report, synthesis of graphene by oxidation-reduction method and chemical vapor deposition(CVD). The structure of graphene was characterized by TEM and Raman spectrum. A saturable absorber based on graphene which provides excellent optics characteristic is fabricated, and there are no changes in the structure and characteristics of graphene. Graphene saturable absorber was used in solid-state laser and fiber laser from 1μm to 2μm, stable Q-switched pulse in a Nd:YAG laser and stable mode-locked pulse in the Er-doped fiber laser were obtained, respectively. Our results illustrate the feasibility of using graphene as an excellent saturable absorber for lasers.