Er:glass and Ho:YAG lasers passively Q-switched with PbS(Se) quantum dot saturable absorbers

Summary form only given. Glasses doped with semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are being extensively studied as promising materials for various photonics applications. In the near infrared region PbS(Se) QDs are very attractive to be used as saturable absorbers since their large bulk exciton Bohr radius and small energy gap at room temperature allow one to vary the position of the first optical absorption resonance in a wide spectral range from 2.5 down to 1.0 /spl mu/m only by varying QD's size. We present Q-switch operation of Er:glass lasers at 1.54 /spl mu/m and Ho:YAG lasers at 2.1 /spl mu/m lasers using specially prepared PbS(Se)-doped phosphate glasses as saturable absorbers.