Understanding the role of gravity in the crystallization suppression of ZBLAN glass

ZBLAN (ZrF₄–BaF₂–LaF₃–AlF₃–NaF) glass fibers are excellent materials for the use in many applications, such as fiber optics, fiber amplifiers, and lasers for cutting, drilling, and surgery. The main advantage of ZBLAN glasses over other glasses, such as silica, is its superior infrared transmissibility. The theoretical optical transmission spectrum for a ZBLAN fiber is from 0.3 μm in the UV to 7 μm in the IR region. The main obstacle with ZBLAN glass is the extrinsic losses from impurities, which includes crystallites formed during the manufacturing process. Due to ZBLAN’s narrow working range, crystallites easily form during the drawing process, which inhibits the materials transmissibility. Microgravity (μ-g) processing has been proven to suppress crystallization in ZBLAN glass, thus allowing the material to reach its theoretical loss coefficient. Past researchers have shown that this phenomenon exists, but the mechanism of crystallization suppression in a microgravity environment is not well understood. This research endeavors to understand the role that gravity plays on the crystallization suppression of ZBLAN glass. The outcome of this study will impact the production of superior mid-IR fiber optics and could lead to a more feasible manufacturing technique. The main conclusion developed from this study is that the process is heavily dependent upon mass transfer kinetics such as diffusion and buoyancy-driven convection. Thus, suppressing buoyancy-driven convection, at relevant drawing temperatures, suppresses crystallization growth in ZBLAN glass. This theory was proven through microgravity experimentation, analytical, and computational modeling.     

Output-coupling optimization of Nd-doped fiber lasers

A simple theoretical modeling of the static properties of a fiber laser that includes distributed losses and inhomogeneous pumping is presented. Closed-form expressions for both the output and the backward (at the input mirror) intensities are obtained. The model is based on an extended formulation of the Rigrod's theory. It is shown that the laser responds differently depending on the length of the fiber. In particular, we show that for long (short) lasers optimal output power is achieved with low (high) output-coupler reflectivities. Experimental evidence of these results is obtained with Nd-doped fiber lasers with various lengths.     

短腔的高浓度掺铒光纤激光器

本文提出采用高浓度掺铒光纤的短腔环形光纤激光器,研制出铋铝共掺和铋镓铝共掺两种石英基高浓度掺铒光纤,这两种掺铒光纤的吸收系数在1530 nm处分别达到了66.3dB/m和59.5dB/m.利用这两种石英基高浓度掺铒光纤,采用环形结构制作出了短腔的光纤激光器,光纤激光器中铒光纤长度分别仅为30 cm和90 cm.对采用这两种高浓度掺铒光纤制作的光纤激光器的输出特性进行了测试和分析.实验结果表明,采用铋镓铝共掺的掺铒光纤制作的光纤激光器具有更高的输出功率和斜率效率,在980 nm泵浦源输出功率330 mW时可以实现15 dBm的激光输出,激光器的斜率效率达到了22%.     

Kinetic modeling of Q-switched high-power ytterbium-doped fiber lasers

We present a kinetic model for Q-switched, cladding-pumped, high-power Yb-doped fiber lasers that are based on the rate equation, in a difference equation form, of ion population and propagation equations for both pumping and signal light. The effects of fiber-laser parameters, such as doping, length, pump power, and repetition rate on pulse characteristics are analyzed. This model is used to analyze the performance of Q-switched multicore fiber lasers and to show the output pulses with enhanced characteristics.     

Peaking of Optical Pulses in Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers with an Active Region Based on Submonolayer InGaAs Quantum Dots

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with an active region based on submonolayer InGaAs quantum dots with an oxide-aperture diameter of ~1 μm have been studied. It is established that peaking of the output optical pulses to 50–100 ps can be achieved by pumping these lasers with 10–100 ns electric pulses at a repetition frequency of 10–100 kHz.     

The effect of passive Q-switching observed in an erbium-doped fiber laser at a low pumping power

The effect of passive Q-switching was observed in an erbium fiber laser at a pumping power below 100 mW. The phenomenon is explained by a cascade process of the Rayleigh light scattering and the induced Mandelshtam-Brillouin scattering in a fiber resonator of the laser. In the Q-switched mode, the laser produced giant output pulses with a duration below 15 ns, a peak power up to 200 W, and a repetition period of 300–500 μs. The proposed Q-switching mechanism is inferred from the characteristic features of the laser pulse oscillograms measured at a ∼1 ns resolution. Previously, this effect was observed only in high-power fiber lasers at a pumping power of ∼2 W.     

Dual-wavelength superfluorescent fiber emitter

The feasibility of constructing a dual-wavelength, spatially single-mode, superfluorescent fiber emitter on the basis of erbium optical fibers with pumping by multimode semiconductor lasers is demonstrated. The emitter is fabricated by all-fiber technology and has a power output in excess of 10 mW, an average emission wavelength of 1.54 μm, and a spectral resolution of 27.5 nm at component linewidths of 3 nm and 9 nm. The depolarization of the radiation from the emitter as it propagates in an anisotropic, single-mode fiber waveguide is investigated. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 23, 37–42 (October 26, 1997)     

Studying the characteristics of pulse-pumped semiconductor 1060-nm lasers based on asymmetric heterostructures with ultrathick waveguides

High-power semiconductor lasers based on asymmetric quantum-dimensional separate confinement InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with ultrathick waveguides were fabricated by means of metalorganic hydride vapor phase epitaxy technology. The laser characteristics were studied in a pulsed pumping regime, in which the emission was excited by current pulses of 100 ns duration at a repetition frequency of 10 kHz and an amplitude of up to 200 A. The passage to a pulsed lasing regime allowed the active region heating to be reduced and the output power to be increased to 145 W for a laser diode with a 100-μm exit aperture. The results obtained for the pulsed lasing regime show that saturation of the output power-current characteristic observed in the continuous-wave regime is fully determined by overheating of the active region of a semiconductor laser.     

Tapered fiber bundles for combining high-power diode lasers

Tapered fiber bundles are often used to combine the output power of several semiconductor lasers into a multimode optical fiber for the purpose of pumping fiber lasers and amplifiers. It is generally recognized that the brightness of such combiners does not exceed the brightness of the individual input fibers. We report that the brightness of the tapered fibers (and fiber bundles) depends on both the taper ratio and the mode-filling properties of the beams launched into the individual fibers. Brightness, therefore, can be increased by selection of sources that fill a small fraction of the input fiber's modal capacity. As proof of concept, we present the results of measurements on tapered fiber-bundle combiners having a low-output étendue. Under low mode-filling conditions per input multimode fiber (i.e., fraction of filled modes < or =0.29), we report brightness enhancements of 8.0 dB for 19 x 1 bundles, 6.7 dB for 7 x 1 bundles, and 4.0 dB for 3 x 1 combiners. Our measured coupling efficiency variations of approximately 1%-2% among the various fibers in a given bundle confirm the uniformity and quality of the fabricated devices.     

High-power widely tunable thulium fiber lasers

Applications requiring long-range atmospheric propagation are driving the development of high-power thulium fiber lasers. We report on the performance of two different laser configurations for high-power tunable thulium fiber lasers: one is a single oscillator utilizing a volume Bragg grating for wavelength stabilization; the other is a master oscillator power amplifier system with the oscillator stabilized and made tunable by a diffraction grating. Each configuration provides >150 W of average power, >50% slope efficiency, narrow output linewidth, and >100 nm tunability in the wavelength range around 2 μm.     

Gradient-index-mirror solid-state lasers

The properties of diode-pumped lasers with gradient-index (GRIN)-mirror resonators are described. The total loss of typical GRIN elements is measured and is found to be comparable with conventional mirrors. The efficiency, threshold, and modal quality of GRIN-mirror Nd:YAG lasers are shown to compare favorably with conventional designs. In addition, a polarized single-frequency laser that uses GRIN elements in conjunction with metal-film étalons is constructed and is shown to deliver output powers comparable with those of more complicated single-frequency designs.     

Double-clad 10-W Yb3+-doped fiber master oscillator power fiber amplifier for He3+ optical pumping

We describe an all-fiber ytterbium-doped laser followed by a double-stage ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber amplifier of 10-W output power for helium pumping. Different cavity designs are investigated with the goal of achieving high-power multimode emission at 1083 nm, wavelength tunability over the helium absorption bands, and linewidth envelope control over the range 1-3 GHz. We point out the domains with unstable output power and discuss their origin.     

单模硫系玻璃光纤的制备及其超连续谱的产生特性

硫系玻璃具有独特的红外光学性能和极高的光学非线性等特点, 使得硫系光纤成为中红外超连续谱产生的优选材料。基于二次挤压法制备了单模As-S光纤, 并利用飞秒脉冲和光参量放大器作为泵浦源研究了该光纤的中红外超连续谱的产生特性, 包括光纤长度、泵浦波长、泵浦功率对超连续谱产生的影响。结果表明该单模光纤具有较低的传输损耗和较小的材料色散分布; 相比于传统零色散点波长附近泵浦, 在正常色散区且杂质吸收峰附近泵浦也可获得脉冲的极大展宽(泵浦参数: 4.5 μm, 1 kHz, 150 fs, 光纤长度23 cm, 输出谱宽为1.5~8.7 μm@60 dB带宽); 较短长度的硫系光纤便可产生超宽频谱输出, 相反, 光纤长度越长输出频谱越窄且平坦性变差。     

Achieving Gaussian outputs from large-mode-area higher-order-mode fibers

We describe an alternative to fiber-gratings for converting higher-order LP(0m) (m>1) fiber modes into a nearly fundamental Gaussian shape at the output of a fiber. This schematic enables the use of light propagation in higher-order modes of a fiber, a fiber-platform that has recently shown great promise for achieving very large mode areas needed for future high-power lasers and amplifiers. The conversion will be done by using a binary phase plate in the near field of the fiber, which emits the LP(0m) mode. Since the binary phase plate alone cannot increase the quality factor M(2) of the laser beam because of some broad sidebands, a filtering of the sidebands is done in the Fourier plane of a telescope. Of course, this will cost some of the total light power, but on the other side the M(2) factor can be reduced to nearly the ideal value near 1.0, and it is shown that approximately 76% of the total light power can be conserved for all investigated modes (2相似文献   

Self-mixing detection of backscattered radiation in single-mode pulse-periodic CO2 lasers

The self-mixing (autodyne) effect in single-mode CO(2) lasers with pulse-periodic (PP) pumping of the active medium is theoretically analyzed and experimentally investigated. A semiempirical model of the autodyne effect in CO(2) lasers of this type is developed that allows the laser beat signal to be described from the known shape of the generated pulses. The self-mixing effect in PP CO(2) lasers is shown to be identical with that in continuous-wave CO(2) lasers, except that the autodyne amplification during the laser pulse proves time-dependent. It is demonstrated that the amplitude-frequency characteristic of the autodyne amplification for PP CO(2) lasers is also of resonance nature, but its bandwidth is broadened, as compared with that in the case of continuous laser pumping. As in the case of continuous pumping, the self-mixing effect in PP CO(2) lasers can be used to detect and analyze backscattered signals, specifically for measuring the rates of destruction of materials by the 10 μm radiation and for monitoring this process.     

Spectroscopic properties of Er doped and Er, Nd codoped fluoride glasses under simulated sunlight illumination

We investigated the fluorescence characteristics of Er codoped Nd doped ZBLAN glasses proposed for solar pumped fiber laser (SPFL) under simulated sunlight. Er is used as a sensitizer because it absorbs a part of the ultraviolet and visible light where is no absorption of Nd. Under simulated sunlight illumination, Er singly doped fluoride glass displayed four emission bands with peaks at 550, 848, 977 and 1533 nm attributed to the ⁴S_3/2-⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2-⁴I_13/2, ⁴I_11/2-⁴I_15/2 and ⁴I_13/2-⁴I_15/2 electronic transitions of Er, respectively. The quantum efficiency measurement was carried out using an integrating sphere and under the simulated sunlight excitation showed a maximum of 73% for 0.5 mol.% of ErF₃ in ZBLAN glass. In Nd, Er codoped fluoride glass, the 1.05 μm emission of Nd was observed under 380 nm excitation what supposes the energy transfer from Er to Nd in ZBLAN glasses as Nd has no absorption at the wavelength. Er, Nd codoped fluoride glasses are promising as a sensitized laser media for solar pumped fiber lasers.     

Use of hollow core fibers, fiber lasers, and photonic crystal fibers for spark delivery and laser ignition in gases

The fiber-optic delivery of sparks in gases is challenging as the output beam must be refocused to high intensity (approximately 200 GW/cm(2) for nanosecond pulses). Analysis suggests the use of coated hollow core fibers, fiber lasers, and photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). We study the effects of launch conditions and bending for 2 m long coated hollow fibers and find an optimum launch f# of approximately 55 allowing spark formation with approximately 98% reliability for bends up to a radius of curvature of 1.5 m in atmospheric pressure air. Spark formation using the output of a pulsed fiber laser is described, and delivery of 0.55 mJ pulses through PCFs is shown.     

Modeling and optimization of Q-switched double-clad fiber lasers

The numerical modeling of actively Q-switched fiber lasers is systematically presented. On the basis of typical Q-switched ytterbium-doped double-clad fiber lasers under forward and backward pump, the dynamic characteristics of pulse energy, pulse width, population inversion, and stored energy at tens-of-kilohertz repetition rates are studied by using the traveling-wave method. The laser performance is further investigated for different fiber core diameters, doping rates, cavity lengths, fiber losses, signal and pump wavelengths, reflectivities of output coupler, and switching speed of an acousto-optic modulator; the laser optimization is also quantitatively discussed. Some simulation results are also compared with previous experimental results.     

The status and future development of innovative optoelectronic devices based on III-nitrides on SiC and on III-antimonides

High-brightness nitride-based LEDs have been grown on SiC substrates, which offers many advantages in the production both from epitaxial, chip and device processing point of view. Optimized InGaN/GaN/GaAlN MQW structures and improved chip and package designs were developed, resulting in optical outputs that exceed 7 mW at 20 mA in a 5 mm axial lamp. InGaN oxide stripe lasers (450 μm×3.5 μm) with an emission wavelength around 420 nm were fabricated showing threshold currents of 330 mA and turn-on voltages of about 21V operated under pulse current injections at room temperature. Strained layer GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb quantum well lasers operating near room temperature with emission wavelengths up to 2.26 μm and a cw output of 240 mW were demonstrated. Short-period InAs/GaInSb superlattices with different InAs layer widths have been used for the fabrication of photodiodes, showing responsivity spectra with cut-off wavelengths of 4.5 and 10 μm, respectively.     

Scaling up of a high average power dye laser amplifier and its new pumping designs

Scaling up of a high average power dye laser amplifier is discussed. Differences in the characteristics between a high average power dye laser amplifier with transverse pumping and longitudinal pumping are presented by a simple theory and simulations. The simulation results for dye laser amplifiers of 10-kW average output power show that longitudinal pumping is as efficient as transverse pumping with the potential of orders of magnitude lower dye flow rate. New pumping designs are also proposed for a dye laser amplifier aimed to achieve high gain with high efficiency to reduce the number of amplifier stages. Simulation results suggest that the new designs, in comparison with a conventional amplifier, can produce several orders of magnitude higher gain without decreasing the conversion efficiency.