Thulium-doped silica fibers with enhanced 3H4 level lifetime for fiber lasers and amplifiers

0396889 - ÚFE 2014 RIV US eng C - Conference Paper (international conference)
Peterka, Pavel - Dussardier, B. - Blanc, W. - Kašík, Ivan - Honzátko, Pavel
Thulium-doped silica fibers with enhanced 3H4 level lifetime for fiber lasers and amplifiers.
3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PHOTONICS 2012 (ICP 2012). NEW YORK: IEEE, 2012, s. 61-65. ISBN 978-1-4673-1463-3.
[3rd International Conference on Photonics (ICP). Penang (MY), 01.10.2012-03.10.2012]
R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP205/11/1840; GA MŠMT ME10119; GA ČR GAP102/10/2139
Institutional support: RVO:67985882
Keywords : Erbium doped fibers * optical fibers * Silica fibers
Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering

Thulium-doped fibers are renowned for their applications in high power fiber lasers at around 2 μm. It is despite the low quantum conversion efficiency of 3F4 level in thulium doped silica fibers, which is about 10% compared to 100% quantum conversion efficiency of the ytterbium- and erbium-doped fibers, at around 1 μm and 1.5 μm, respectively. The lower quantum conversion efficiency increases the 2 μm laser threshold but has almost no effect on the laser slope efficiency. Indeed, kW-class thulium-doped fiber lasers have been demonstrated recently. Quantum conversion efficiency of the 3H4 level in non-modified silica fibers is much lower than that of 3F4 level, only about 2% and therefore most of the applications of laser transitions originating from 3H4 level are hindered by the lack of reliable low-phonon fiber host. We review of our contributions towards the comprehension and improvement of the spectroscopic properties of thulium ions doped into silica. We show potential of the developed thulium-doped fibers with enhanced 3H4 level lifetime for applications in fiber lasers around 810 nm and in fiber amplifiers for communication S-band (1460-1530 nm)
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0224616