Low-dimensional saturable absorbers for ultrafast photonics in solid-state bulk lasers: status and prospects

Low-dimensional (LD) materials have originated a range of innovative applications in photonics and optoelectronics owning to their advantages of ultrafast carrier response and distinct nonlinear saturable absorption properties. In particular, these emerging LD materials including zero-, one-, and two-dimensional materials have recently been utilized for short and ultrashort pulse laser generation in the visible, near infrared, and mid-infrared wavelength regions. Here, we review recent progress demonstrating the application of LD materials as versatile, wideband saturable absorbers for Q-switching and mode-locking in all-solid-state lasers. The laser performance in operating wavelength, output power, pulse width, repetition rate, and pulse energy is reviewed. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are suggested.