Journal of Asia Pacific Aesthetic Sciences

Abstract: Photonics integrated with advanced nanomaterials offers new opportunities for non-invasive biomedical therapies. The Q-switched laser technique, well known for its role in skin and tissue treatments such as tattoo removal, scar revision, and dermatological resurfacing, delivers high-peak-power, short-duration pulses with minimal thermal damage to surrounding tissue. Building on this principle, we demonstrate Q-switched operation in a Praseodymium-doped ZBLAN fiber (PDFF) laser within the O-band by employing a thin-film saturable absorber (SA) based on the metal–organic framework ZIF-67 (zeolitic imidazolate framework). Owing to its porous architecture, high surface area, and favorable nonlinear optical response, ZIF-67 provides efficient light–matter interaction that enables stable Q-switching. When integrated into a ring-shaped cavity, the ZIF-67 thin film produced pulses at 1303.06 nm, with the repetition rate increasing from 75.37 to 84.68 kHz and the pulse duration narrowing from 3.65 to 3.37 μs as the pump power rose from 960.7 to 975.1 mW. A maximum pulse energy of 32.71 nJ and output power of 2.77 mW were achieved. These preliminary results highlight the potential of ZIF-67 thin films as effective nonlinear optical materials for compact, wavelength-flexible Q-switched lasers, opening pathways for both biomedical photonics and next-generation non-invasive therapeutic technologies.