Single-mode radiation-balanced Yb-doped silica fiber laser and amplifier

Enkeleda Balliu; Bailey Meehan; Mary Ann Cahoon; Thomas W. Hawkins; John Ballato; Peter D. Dragic; Tommy Boilard; Lauris Talbot; Martin Bernier; Michel J. F. Digonnet

doi:10.1117/12.3010148

13 March 2024 Single-mode radiation-balanced Yb-doped silica fiber laser and amplifier

Enkeleda Balliu, Bailey Meehan, Mary Ann Cahoon, Thomas W. Hawkins, John Ballato, Peter D. Dragic, Tommy Boilard, Lauris Talbot, Martin Bernier, Michel J. F. Digonnet

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12902, Photonic Heat Engines: Science and Applications VI; 1290203 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3010148
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2024, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

This paper reports a second generation of radiation-balanced fiber laser and amplifier cooled internally using anti-Stokes fluorescence by pumping them at 1040 nm. In both devices the gain medium is a single-mode silica fiber with a core heavily doped with Yb³⁺, initially encapsulated in CaF₂ nanoparticles, and co-doped with Al to reduce quenching and increase the cooling efficiency. After optimization of its length (4.1 m) and its output coupler reflectivity (3.3%), the 1065- nm continuous-wave fiber laser has a threshold of 160 mW and a radiation-balanced (no net heat generation) output power of 192 mW, or nearly 70% higher than the previous radiation-balanced fiber laser. At its radiation-balanced point, its optical efficiency is 56.8%. The single-frequency, single-mode fiber amplifier, constructed with the same fiber, was optimum with a length of 6.8 m, and it had a radiation-balanced gain of 20 dB: it amplified an 800-μW signal to 84.2 mW with 433 mW of input pump power. The significance of this result is underscored by the small diameter of the single-mode fiber core (7.8 μm), which makes cooling more challenging. This study further demonstrates the viability of achieving substantial gain and energy extraction in a small-core Yb-doped silica fiber while effectively utilizing anti-Stokes fluorescence to keep it cool.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Enkeleda Balliu, Bailey Meehan, Mary Ann Cahoon, Thomas W. Hawkins, John Ballato, Peter D. Dragic, Tommy Boilard, Lauris Talbot, Martin Bernier, and Michel J. F. Digonnet "Single-mode radiation-balanced Yb-doped silica fiber laser and amplifier", Proc. SPIE 12902, Photonic Heat Engines: Science and Applications VI, 1290203 (13 March 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3010148

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