Novel zinc-doped carbon nitride (Zn:C3N4) modulated short-pulsed Er:YAP laser in the mid-infrared region

Compared with traditional inorganic semiconductor, organic semiconductor can be flexibly specified by hydrogen bonds, coordination bonds, covalent bonds or ionic bonds, and different molecular frameworks, and thus possess broad application prospects. In order to increase the surface defect content, the Zn ions are further doped. These surface defects tend to catch electrons. The surface state energy level is constituted by surface defects, and supposed to locate between the valence band and the conduction band. The zinc doped carbon nitride (Zn:C3N4) nanofilms, known as an organic semiconductor material, have exhibited many excellent chemical properties and have a very wide application prospect. Herein, the Zn:C3N4 nanofilms are synthesized by the thermal polymerization, and their morphology, structure, and chemical composition are also systemically analyzed. Moreover, We demonstrate a 3 μm Q-switched Er:YAP crystal laser modulated by the Zn:C3N4 saturable absorber. The obtained Q-switching pulses have a shortest pulse width of 162.5 ns and a peak power of 16.5 W at a repetition rate of 192.9 kHz. These results reveal that Zn:C3N4 can be used as the promising nonlinear saturable absorber material in the mid-infrared pulsed lasers.