A compact diode-pumped passively Q-switched mid-IR fiber laser

Libatique, Nathaniel Joseph C.; Tafoya, Jason D.; Feng, Shao; Mirell, Daniel; Jain, R. K.

doi:10.1364/assl.2000.md2

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…5 is pedestal free since it is likely that a low intensity pedestal would be below the noise floor of our autocorrelator. The center emission wavelength of 2.87 μm, peak power of 206 W, and pulse width of 24 ps are encouraging results which compare favorably with the pioneering demonstration of a mode-locked 2.7 μm Er 3 -doped fluoride fiber laser [2] which involved the use of either a moving mirror or InAs epilayers deposited on a GaAs substrate for saturable absorption. In both modes of operation, Q-switched mode-locking was produced and the maximum peak power of the Q-switched pulse envelope was approximately 4 W. While the pulse widths of our partial mode-locked laser are quite long compared to many past demonstrations of mode-locked fiber lasers that use SESAM, no attempt was made to balance the intracavity dispersion.…”

supporting

confidence: 62%

“…Fluoride glass pulsed fiber lasers have been reported based on Er 3 -doped and Er 3 , Pr 3 codoped fluoride fibers [1][2][3][4][5]. Recently, we have extended this work by creating actively Q-switched cascaded 380 and 260 ns pulses at 3.005 and 2.074 μm, respectively, using singly Ho 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber [6] and 78 ns actively Q-switched pulse widths at 2.86 μm using Ho 3 , Pr 3 codoped ZBLAN fiber at a comparatively high slope efficiency of 20% [7].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Efficient 287 μm fiber laser passively switched using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

et al. 2012

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A passively switched Ho 3 , Pr 3 codoped fluoride fiber laser using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) is demonstrated. Q-switching and partial mode-locking were observed with the output power produced at a slope efficiency of 24% with respect to the absorbed pump power. The partially mode-locked 2.87 μm pulses operated at a repetition rate of 27.1 MHz with an average power of 132 mW, pulse energy of 4.9 nJ, and pulse width of 24 ps. Compared to Q-switched fiber lasers, mode-locked fiber lasers are particularly useful because they typically offer a higher peak power and a significantly shorter pulse width that can be used to pump optical parametric oscillators or to create a supercontinuum in the midinfrared region. In the past few years, several passively mode-locked fiber lasers emitting at 2 μm have been reported, with the best performance being achieved with thulium-doped silicate fiber that produced 1.5 ps duration pulses and 0.76 nJ pulse energies using semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) [8], and with dispersion compensation, 173 fs stretched-pulses with 4 nJ pulse energy was obtained at 1.97 μm [9].Compared to Er 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber lasers, Ho 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber lasers have a longer emission peak wavelength and a higher Stokes efficiency limit as a result of the longer pump wavelength of 1150 nm. In a similar way to the transition in Er 3 -doped ZBLAN, the 5 I 6 → 5 I 7 laser transition of Ho 3 encounters a potential population bottlenecking problem because the 3.5 ms lifetime of the upper ( 5 I 6 ) laser level is shorter than the 12 ms lifetime of the lower ( 5 I 7 ) laser level and, in a parallel way to Er 3 , Ho 3 requires some engineering of the doping or laser process in order to create efficient emission. For example, quenching of the 5 I 7 lifetime by Pr 3 codoping has resulted in efficient cw [10] and actively Q-switched pulsed operation [7].In this Letter, we report the demonstration of a passively Q-switched and partially mode-locked Ho 3 , Pr 3 codoped fluoride laser that produced pulses at 2.87 μm using newly developed SESAM. Q-switching, Q-switched mode-locking, and unstable cw mode-locking regimes was observed with increasing pump power.The experimental arrangement for the passively switched Ho 3 , Pr 3 codoped ZBLAN fiber laser is shown in Fig. 1. The double-clad fluoride fiber (FiberLabs, Japan) was identical to the fiber used in our previous free-running experiment [10] and had a D-shaped pump core with a diameter of 125 μm across the circular cross section and a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.50. The fiber had a 10 μm-core diameter with an NA of 0.2. The Ho 3 and Pr 3 ion concentrations of the fiber were 30,000 and 2,500 ppm molar, respectively. The selected fiber length of 3.5 m provided 88% pump absorption efficiency.Commercially available high power 1.15 μm diode lasers (Eagleyard Photonics, Berlin) were used to pump the fiber after polarization multiplexing and focusing using an antireflection-coated ZnSe objective lens (Innovation Photonics, LFO-5-6-3....

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confidence: 62%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient 287 μm fiber laser passively switched using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

et al. 2012

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“…Compared to cw fiber lasers, pulsed fiber lasers are desirable because they offer high peak power that can be used directly or shifted to other wavelengths using nonlinear frequency conversion. A number of fluoride glass pulsed fiber lasers have been reported based on Er 3 -doped and Er 3 -Pr 3 co-doped fluoride fibers [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The recent report of a gain-switched 2.8 μm Er 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber laser with pulse duration of 300 ns and average power of 2 W at 100 kHz repetition rate [5] and actively Q-switched 2.8 μm Er 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber laser with 90 ns duration and 12 W average power [6] marked the beginning of the development of pulsed 3 μm class fluoride fiber lasers with high average power and short pulse width.…”

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confidence: 99%

Dual wavelength Q-switched cascade laser

Jackson

2012

Opt. Lett.

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A diode-cladding-pumped dual wavelength Q-switched Ho 3 -doped fluoride cascade fiber laser operating in the mid-infrared is demonstrated. Stable pulse trains from the 5 I 6 → 5 I 7 and 5 I 7 → 5 I 8 laser transitions were produced, and the μs-level time delay between the pulses from each transition was dependent on the pump power. At maximum pump power and at an acousto-optic modulator repetition rate of 25 kHz, the 5 I 6 → 5 I 7 transition pulse operated at 3.005 μm, a pulse energy of 29 μJ, and a pulse width of 380 ns; the 5 I 7 → 5 I 8 transition pulse correspondingly produced 7 μJ pulse energy and 260 ns pulse width at 2.074 μm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a Q-switched fiber laser operating beyond 3 μm. © 2012 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 140.3510, 140.3480.Mid-infrared (mid-IR) fluoride glass fiber lasers have a number of potential applications in defense, medicine, and chemical sensing. Compared to cw fiber lasers, pulsed fiber lasers are desirable because they offer high peak power that can be used directly or shifted to other wavelengths using nonlinear frequency conversion. A number of fluoride glass pulsed fiber lasers have been reported based on Er 3 -doped and Er 3 -Pr 3 co-doped fluoride fibers [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The recent report of a gain-switched 2.8 μm Er 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber laser with pulse duration of 300 ns and average power of 2 W at 100 kHz repetition rate [5] and actively Q-switched 2.8 μm Er 3 -doped ZBLAN fiber laser with 90 ns duration and 12 W average power [6] marked the beginning of the development of pulsed 3 μm class fluoride fiber lasers with high average power and short pulse width. Extending the emission wavelength from pulsed fiber lasers is desirable as a result of their potential role as pump sources in mid-IR photonics and nonlinear optics.Cascade lasing of both the 5 I 6 → 5 I 7 and 5 I 7 → 5 I 8 laser transitions of a Ho 3 -doped fluoride fiber laser has been demonstrated in cw operation [7,8]. A recent report of a Watt-level diode-cladding-pumped Ho 3 -doped fluoride cascade fiber laser free running at 3.002 μm [9] demonstrated that Ho 3 -dopedfluoride glass fiber lasers can extend the emission wavelength into the mid-IR. Moreover, the cascade lasing on both the 5 I 6 → 5 I 7 and the 5 I 7 → 5 I 8 laser transitions is a straight forward process not reliant on strong cavity resonances and offers the opportunity for all infrared emission with little visible light generation owing to comparatively reduced levels of pump excited state absorption. Cascade lasing also provides the opportunity to obtain pulses at both 3 μm and 2 μm in a simple actively Q-switched arrangement.In this letter, we demonstrate a Q-switched cascade fluoride laser that produced pulses at 3.005 μm and 2.074 μm simultaneously using a TeO 2 acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The 3 μm and 2 μm pulses have a μs-level time delay and operate at the same repetition rate within a pump power dependent repetition rate range that provides stable pulses.The experimental...

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“…ZBLAN laser by passive methods using a liquefying gallium mirror resulted in pulse energies of only 38 nl in pulses of 7ps duration [3]. In this presentation, we report pulsed-to-cw power enhancement factors of -22 and pulse energies of 0.4 pJ for pulsed operation of a 3 p Er:…”

mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Pulsed operation of fiber lasers has recently been demonstrated by several methods, including passive [3] and active [4] Q-switching. Early attempts to Q-switch the 3 pm Er:…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A compact pulsed 3 μm fiber laser

Wang¹,

Jain²

The 16th Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, 2003. LEOS 2003.

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In recent years, several researchers have shown relatively efficient operation of 3 p fiber lasers based on high-concentration erbium-doped fluorozirconate fibers [I ,2]. Even though cw power levels of several watts have been demonstrated from such lasers, there is a strong need for pulsed operation of these lasers for several applications, including (I) laser surgery and (2) the generation of efficient and compact 3pm to 5pm mid-IR sources --via nonlinear conversion methods --for infrared countermeasures and other spectroscopic applications.Pulsed operation of fiber lasers has recently been demonstrated by several methods, including passive [3] and active [4] Q-switching. Early attempts to Q-switch the 3 pm Er:ZBLAN laser by passive methods using a liquefying gallium mirror resulted in pulse energies of only 38 nl in pulses of 7ps duration [3]. In this presentation, we report pulsed-to-cw power enhancement factors of -22 and pulse energies of 0.4 pJ for pulsed operation of a 3 p Er:ZBLAN fiber laser, achieved by modulating the Q-factor of the cavity by means of an integrated LiTaO, waveguide electro-optics light deflector at repetition rates as high as 6OKHz. #, Er:zBLAN Fiber LiTa03 Deflector lnAs PD Figure 1: Experimental Setup Figure 1 shows the experimental setup used for the experiments described here. The 7-meter long Er: ZBLAN fiber was of a double clad geometry, with a 90x1 10pn rectangular inner clad and a 6 . 4~ diameter circular core. One end of the laser cavity corresponded to the Fresnel reflection from the input end of the ZBLAN fiber, while the other end was terminated by a grating in the Littrow configuration. The 200 grooveslmm Littrow grating (1' ' order efficiency > 90%) was used to restrict the intracavity bandwidth to reduce competition between longitudinal modes and thus enhance stability, and also for wavelength tuning of this laser. The intracavity LiTa03 integrated waveguide electro-optics deflector consisted of a series of prisms of alternating polarity. This 15-mm-long. 286p-wide deflector of horn shaped design [5] was driven by a 100 KHz signal generator followed by a 1 KV AEC broadband driver.Pulsed operation was relatively easily achieved by modulating the Q-factor of this laser cavity via the LiTa03 deflector. Pulses of 2 ps duration and 350 nT pulse energies were easily achieved at repetition rates approaching 60 KHz. Figure 2 shows a summary of the experimental results. Theoretical simulation shows that the observed pulsing behavior is more characteristic of

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A compact diode-pumped passively Q-switched mid-IR fiber laser

Abstract: A compact cladding-pumped Er:ZBLAN mid-infrared pulsed fiber laser using a liquefying gallium mirror as a saturable absorber is demonstrated for the first time. Preliminary results give pulse widths of 7 µs and energies of 38 nJ.

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

Efficient 287 μm fiber laser passively switched using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

Efficient 287 μm fiber laser passively switched using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

Dual wavelength Q-switched cascade laser

A compact pulsed 3 μm fiber laser

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