Wideband wavelength tunable fiber ring laser with flattened output power spectrum

A wavelength tunable erbium-doped fiber ring laser with flattened output power spectrum over a broadband is proposed and demonstrated. The power flattening is achieved using a high-birefringence fiber loop mirror, in which a number of high-birefringence fiber sections and polarization controllers are used to get a reflection spectrum that can compensate for the output power spectrum. The wavelength tuning is realized by compressing or stretching the FBGs in the laser cavity. A 1×3 switchable fiber Bragg grating array is incorporated into the fiber ring to get a wideband tuning range of 38 nm, from 1527 to 1565 nm. Within this range, the output power uniformity is controlled within ±0.8 dB. The total output power is about 4 dBm, the 3-dB linewidth is 0.01 nm, and the side mode suppression ratio is more than 48 dB.     

High-power cladding-pumped Tm-doped silica fiber laser with wavelength tuning from 1860 to 2090 nm

A high-power double-clad Tm-doped silica fiber laser, pumped by two beam-shaped and polarization-coupled diode bars at 787 nm, was wavelength tuned by use of an external cavity containing a diffraction grating. The Tm fiber laser produced a maximum output power of 7 W at 1940 nm for 40 W of incident diode power and was tuned over a wavelength range of 230 nm from 1860 to 2090 nm, with >5-W output power over the range 1870-2040 nm. The prospects for further improvement in performance and extension of the tuning range are discussed.     

中心波长1080 nm的高功率光纤光栅研制与测试

介绍了基于紫外光侧写和相位掩模法制作双包层光纤光栅的工艺,制作了一对中心波长1080 nm的光纤光栅,测试光谱得到其反射谱带宽分别为2 nm和1 nm。采用自制的光纤光栅搭建了一个高功率光纤振荡器,得到最高502 W的激光输出,并测试了输出激光的光谱和光束质量。     

Single-longitudinal-mode erbium-doped fiber laser based on a fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Perot filter

A novel single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) erbium-doped fiber laser with a simple linear cavity based on a fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Perot filter (FBG-FPF) and a narrowband (～0.06 nm) FBG is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. Two uniform FBGs form the FBG-FPF, which has two ultranarrow transmission bands with a bandwidth of 0.12 pm and a wavelength spacing of 0.095 nm. By slightly tuning the central wavelength of the narrowband FBG, SLM lasing at 1549.658 or 1549.563 nm (corresponding to the two transmission peaks of the FBG-FPF) is achieved with a laser output power of ～4 mW, when the pump power is ～75 mW.     

Frequency tuning and doubling in Yb-doped fiber lasers

A compact Yb-doped fiber laser (YDFL) based on a tunable fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with ～6 W output power and ～45 nm tuning around 1080 nm has been developed. The laser output power and its spectral width (～0.15 nm) do not change significantly at the tuning, while the FBG reflection coefficient increases with an increase in FBG compression. It has been shown that this increase is due to stress-induced changes in the FBG’s refractive-index modulation amplitude. Intracavity frequency doubling in the YDFL has also been performed. About 0.4 W of green radiation with tuning in the range 540–548 nm has been achieved with a KTP nonlinear crystal.     

Tunable writing Tm-doped intracore fiber Bragg gratings using 800 nm femtosecond laser and phase mask

The intracore fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) were successfully written into the non-photosensitive multi-mode Tm-doped fiber core by the 800 nm fs laser and a phase mask. Using the varied focal length lens, the tunable writing was realized, and the tunable wavelength band was over 84 nm. A geometrical optics imaging model and numerical calculation were described to explain the tunable writing mechanism. The interference modulation intensity characteristics were also theoretically investigated considering the beam incident angle variation. Based on the intracore FBGs, the all-fiber Tm-doped fiber laser had a maximal output power of 15.8 W with a slope efficiency of 30% and threshold of 5.1 W.     

声光可调谐环形腔掺铒光纤激光器

应用单级偏振无关的准共线型声光可调谐滤波器为调谐元件,实现了环形腔掺铒光纤激光器的连续可调谐激光输出.简要阐述了与偏振无关的准共线型声光可调谐滤波器的工作原理,对其频移补偿原理进行了分析.实验研究得到:当抽运功率为13mW时,中心波长为1550nm的激光输出功率为322μW,阈值抽运功率在7.65mW左右,斜率效率约为6.02%;并获得了38nm带宽(1524.7—1562.4nm)的连续可调谐激光输出.     

All-fiber actively Q-switched fiber laser tuned by a pair of temperature controlled fiber Bragg gratings

We report an all-fiber actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser, where the linear laser cavity mirrors are composed of two fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The laser oscillation wavelength could be tuned by this pair of temperature controlled FBGs. The Q-switching is achieved by an all-fiber phase modulation device. Using this system, we could obtain stable Q-switched laser pulses output, which could be optimized by tuning the reflection wavelengths of the two FBGs to be adjacent to each other. Instead of being modulated by the FBG filter in high-speed oscillation, this fiber laser system is operating in the Q-switched regime using an all-fiber phase modulator, producing a more stable laser output spectrum.     

High-power and widely tunable Tm-doped fiber laser at 2 μm

Efficient, high-power, and widely tunable Tm-doped fiber lasers cladding-pumped by diode lasers at 791 nm are demonstrated by use of an external cavity containing a diffraction grating. A maximum output power of 62 W is obtained at 2 004 nm for 140 W of launched pump power, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 48% with respect to launched pump power. The operating wavelength is tunable over 200 nm (1 895 to 2 109 nm), with >52 W of output power over a tuning range of 140 nm (1 926 to 2 070 nm). Prospects for further improvement in output power, lasing efficiency, and tuning range are considered.     

Cost-effective tunable fiber laser based on self-seeded Fabry-Perot laser diode using a Sagnac loop reflector

We propose and demonstrate a simple configuration of wavelength-tunable fiber laser made up of a tunable band-pass filter, a Sagnac loop refiector, and a Fabry-Perot laser diode. Based on the self-seeded operation, the proposed fiber laser can obtain a single-longitudinal-mode output in the wavelength tuning range of 1544.69–1563.39 nm with tuning step of 1.34 nm. The performances of output power （-9 dBm）, optical side-mode suppression ratio （ 65.5 dB）, and power and wavelength stabilities are well exhibited.     

High power wavelength-defined all-fiber Yb3+-doped double clad fiber laser

An all-fiber Yb3+-doped double-clad fiber laser using FBGs as cavity mirrors is investigated in this paper. Continuous-wave (CW) output power of 1.18 W with defined wavelength at 1.06 um and narrow line-width of less than 0.1 nm is obtained. The slope efficiency and the maximum optical-to-optical efficiency of laser output are 68% and 51%, respectively, with respect to absorbed pump power.     

高功率宽调谐范围掺Yb3+光子晶体光纤激光器

采用闪耀光栅作为色散元件,构建了前向、后向输出两种结构的可调谐掺Yb3 光子晶体光纤激光器,并对其输出特性进行了分析研究.在抽运功率5.75W时,前向输出结构实现了1050.6～1110.2 nm的连续调谐输出,光谱线宽约0.1 nm,边模抑制比大于44 dB.在调谐激光波长为1085 nm时,得到最高输出功率677 mW.结构改进的后向输出结构的可调谐输出结构在抽运功率4.43 W,调谐波长1075 nm,实现了2.21 W的功率输出,斜率效率为73%;调谐范围50.9 nm(1042.1～1093 nm),光谱线宽小于0.08 nm,边模抑制比大于50 dB.两种结构的可调谐激光器输出均为线偏振光,偏振度大于89.5%.     

Widely tunable compact erbium-doped fiber ring laser for fiber-optic sensing applications

A compact erbium-doped ring-shaped fiber laser suitable for fiber-optic sensing applications has been developed. The fiber laser utilized a tunable fiber Fabry–Perot filter as the tuning element and had a moderate milli-Watt level power output over almost the whole tuning range from 1530 to 1595 nm with a power fluctuation of 0.15 dB. High repetition rate scanning of laser operation over the whole tuning range was achieved at rates of up to 200 Hz. Moreover, the performance of the ring-shaped fiber laser configured with a high-concentration erbium-doped fiber was investigated for its larger wavelength tunability of over 100 nm. Output power characteristics of this ring-shaped fiber laser were also investigated when it worked in a scanning mode. A distorted power wavelength dependence, as well as some pulsing phenomenon were observed in scanning mode.     

Tuning of fiber lasers by use of a single-mode biconic fiber taper

We report a novel scheme to build a compact, tunable fiber laser. The tuning mechanism is based on the transmission property of a single-mode biconic fiber taper. While pulling the taper, we observe oscillations in the transmitted optical power that are due primarily to interference between a pair of excited modes within the tapered region, which are eventually coupled into the unstretched single-mode fiber at the end of the taper. A similar mechanism causes the modulation of the transmitted optical spectrum after the taper has been pulled and stabilized. It is this spectral modulation by the taper that is exploited here to control the wavelength of a fiber laser. The modulation can be adjusted by stretching the taper, thus enabling the tuning of the laser wavelength. We have built a 32 mW Er-doped tunable ring fiber laser with a continuous tuning range of over 20 nm and a signal-to-noise ratio of better than 45 dB over the entire tuning range; our output power is limited only by the available pump power.     

Tunable multiwavelength Brillouin-erbium ring-cavity fiber laser with short-length photonic crystal fiber

A multi-wavelength Brillouin-erbium ring-cavity fiber laser utilizing 2-m erbium doped fiber (EDF) and 70-m high nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed and demonstrated. The output characteristics and also the impacts of pump and Brillouin pump (BP) on the output spectra are investigated in detail. The output number and wavelength location of Brillouin lines are tunable by adjusting the power of 1465 nm pump and BP, and a 5-channel output within 11 nm (1551–1562 nm) tuning range is achieved by choosing appropriate pump power.     

High-energy Q-switched fiber laser based on the side-pumped active fiber

A relatively simple fiber-laser system that is based on a dual fiber, is pumped by a single CW source with an output power of 12 W (976 nm), and provides an output pulse energy of up to 110 μJ at a wavelength of 1080 nm is demonstrated for the first time. The output-pulse repetition rate and duration can be varied in the ranges 45–140 kHz and 0.28–1.80 μs, respectively, with a variation in the pumping power. The maximum output power is 5 W. It is demonstrated that the generation instability observed at an output power of greater than 5 W gives rise to giant pulses that can induce the supercontinuum generation in the range 530–1750 nm in a relatively short microstructured fiber.     

Wavelength tunable high power laser using a double-clad Er:Yb doped fiber

We experimentally demonstrated a stable, wavelength-tunable fiber laser using a polarization-maintaining, double-clad Er:Yb doped fiber amplifier in the cavity. The output wavelength is tunable over the range from 1535 to 1567 nm using a fixed grating and the dichroic mirror placed on a rotational mount; under rotation of the dichroic mirror the tuning ratio of 50 nm/deg was found. We studied the wavelength tuning range dependence on the amplifier fiber length and achieved a maximal output power of 850 mW. This configuration can be Q-switched for high peak power and its narrow bandwidth is suitable for nonlinear optics applications, such as parametric teraherthz generator.     

20 W all fiber supercontinuum generation from picosecond MOPA pumped photonic crystal fiber

An all fiber high power supercontinuum (SC) source is demonstrated by pumping a section of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a picosecond MOPA laser. The core of the PCF is enlarged at the input end through a serious of PCF post processing method to match the output fiber of the picosecond laser, to ensure low loss splicing, hence high power operation of the whole system. The supercontinuum output spectrum covers the wavelength range from 650 nm to beyond 1700 nm. Limited by available pump power, 20 W super-continuum output power is obtained under 29.5 W picosecond pump power, giving a high optical to optical conversion efficiency of 67.8%.     

Yb3+-doped double-clad fiber laser with all fiber cavity

A novel all fiber cavity Yb3+-doped double-clad fiber laser (DCFL) based on two double-clad fiber (DCF)Bragg grating is presented. The fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) as the input and output mirrors have been formed in Yb3+-doped DCF with the phase-mask method, and their reflectivities are 99% and 22%,respectively. When the input pump power is 417 mW, the maximum output power is 144 mW with linewidth ＜0.1 nm at the wavelength of 1.057μm, over 40-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and 50.8% slope efficiency.     

Dual-core ytterbium fiber amplifier for high-power 1060 nm swept source multichannel optical coherence tomography imaging

A novel (to our knowledge) dual-core ytterbium (Yb(3+)) doped fiber, as an optically pumped amplifier, boosts the output power from a 1060 nm swept source laser beyond 250 mW, while providing a wavelength tuning range of 93 nm, for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The design of the dual-core Yb-doped fiber amplifier and its multiple wavelength optical pumping scheme to optimize output bandwidth are discussed. Use of the dual-core fiber amplifier showed no appreciable degradation to the coherence length of the seed laser. The signal intensity improvement of this amplifier is demonstrated on a multichannel in vivo OCT imaging system at 1060 nm.