Multi-kW single fiber laser based on an extra large mode area fiber design

Andreas Langner; Mario Such; Gerhard Schötz; Florian Just; Martin Leich; Anka Schwuchow; Stephan Grimm; Hagen Zimer; Marcin Kozak; Björn Wedel; Georg Rehmann; Charley Bachert; Volker Krause

doi:10.1117/12.904951

15 February 2012 Multi-kW single fiber laser based on an extra large mode area fiber design

Andreas Langner, Mario Such, Gerhard Schötz, Florian Just, Martin Leich, Anka Schwuchow, Stephan Grimm, Hagen Zimer, Marcin Kozak, Björn Wedel, Georg Rehmann, Charley Bachert, Volker Krause

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8237, Fiber Lasers IX: Technology, Systems, and Applications; 82370F (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.904951
Event: SPIE LASE, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The quality of Yb-doped fused bulk silica produced by sintering of Yb-doped fused silica granulates has improved greatly in the past five years [1 - 4]. In particular, the refractive index and doping level homogeneity of such materials are excellent and we achieved excellent background fiber attenuation of the active core material down to about 20 dB/km at 1200 nm. The improvement of the Yb-doped fused bulk silica has enabled the development of multi-kW fiber laser systems based on a single extra large multimode laser fiber (XLMA fiber). When a single active fiber is used in combination with the XLMA multimode fiber of 1200 μm diameter simple and robust high power fiber laser setups without complex fiber coupling and fiber combiner systems become possible. In this papper, we will discuss in detail the development of the core material based on Yb-doped bulk silica and the characterization of Yb-doped fibers with different core compositions. We will also report on the excellent performance of a 4 kW fiber laser based on a single XLMA-fiber and show the first experimental welding results of steel sheets achieved with such a laser.

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Andreas Langner, Mario Such, Gerhard Schötz, Florian Just, Martin Leich, Anka Schwuchow, Stephan Grimm, Hagen Zimer, Marcin Kozak, Björn Wedel, Georg Rehmann, Charley Bachert, and Volker Krause "Multi-kW single fiber laser based on an extra large mode area fiber design", Proc. SPIE 8237, Fiber Lasers IX: Technology, Systems, and Applications, 82370F (15 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.904951

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