Quasi-2D Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) Nanosheet for Ultrafast Photonics

The magnetic nanomaterial Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) is a promising option for spin-dependent electronic and magneto-optoelectronic devices. However, its application in nonlinear optics remains fanciful. Here, we demonstrate a pulsed Er-doped fiber laser (EDFL) based on a novel quasi-2D Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) saturable absorber (SA) with low pump power at 1.5 μm. The high-quality Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) crystals were synthesized by the self-flux method, and the ultrathin Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) nanoflakes were prepared by a simple mechanical exfoliation procedure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time laser pulses have been generated using quasi-2D Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6). A stable pulsed laser at 1562 nm with a low threshold pump power of 60 mW was produced by integrating the Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) SA into an EDFL cavity. The maximum power of the output pulse is 783 μW. The repetition rate can vary from 24.16 to 44.44 kHz, with corresponding pulse durations of 5.64 to 3.41 µs. Our results indicate that the quasi-2D Mn(3)Si(2)Te(6) is a promising material for application in ultrafast photonics.