Optimization of signal gain and core composition for low photodegradation in Yb-doped fiber amplifiers

Pierre Laperle; Louis Desbiens; Huimin Zheng; Karine Le Foulgoc; Mathieu Drolet; Pascal Deladurantaye; Antoine Proulx; Yves Taillon

doi:10.1117/12.839323

4 August 2009 Optimization of signal gain and core composition for low photodegradation in Yb-doped fiber amplifiers

Pierre Laperle, Louis Desbiens, Huimin Zheng, Karine Le Foulgoc, Mathieu Drolet, Pascal Deladurantaye, Antoine Proulx, Yves Taillon

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7386, Photonics North 2009; 73860P (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.839323
Event: Photonics North 2009, 2009, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Photodarkening and photobleaching processes affect the level of photodegradation of Yb-doped fibers. Characterization and modeling of each process is crucial to understand how to optimize the operating conditions of fiber amplifiers and lasers to obtain acceptable output power degradation. We show that photobleaching is a key factor in the modeling and simulation of a 10-ns pulsed Yb-doped LMA fiber amplifier. Each parameter of the model was separately determined from induced excess loss measurements under selective pump and wavelength excitations. The model was used to simulate accurately the measured fiber amplifier degradation. Optimized fiber length and gain were calculated to improve the output power stability over time and increase the fiber lifetime. Furthermore, eight fibers have been fabricated with various Yb, Al, and P content using the MCVD process to optimize the core composition. The level of photodarkening in each fiber was evaluated by measuring separately rate coefficient and excess loss. It was found that all fibers followed a similar inversion-dependent rate while the maximum excess loss was dependent on the ratios [Al]/[Yb] and [P]/[Yb]. The proposed model allows for rapid evaluation and optimization of fiber parameters and operation conditions to assist Yb-doped laser system design in achieving the desired performance with low photodegradation.

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Pierre Laperle, Louis Desbiens, Huimin Zheng, Karine Le Foulgoc, Mathieu Drolet, Pascal Deladurantaye, Antoine Proulx, and Yves Taillon "Optimization of signal gain and core composition for low photodegradation in Yb-doped fiber amplifiers", Proc. SPIE 7386, Photonics North 2009, 73860P (4 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.839323

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