All-fiber thulium-doped 2 μm laser has 255 nm tuning range

Dec. 5, 2013
A group at the Optoelectronics Research Centre has created an all-fiber, 2-μm-emitting laser that can be tuned between 1820 and 2075 nm (a range of 255 nm) with an optical signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 40 dB over the whole tuning range and a 3 dB power flatness of 200 nm.

A group at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (Southampton, England) has created an all-fiber, 2-μm-emitting laser that can be tuned between 1820 and 2075 nm (a range of 255 nm) with an optical signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 40 dB over the whole tuning range and a 3 dB power flatness of 200 nm. The thulium-doped fiber (TDF) laser has an output power of 30 mW at the center of its tuning range.

The TDF itself has a mode-field diameter of 6.2 μm at 2000 nm and is pumped with two singlemode laser diodes (LD-1 and LD-2), each emitting 210 mW at 1550 nm and coupled in via a wavelength-division multiplexer (WDM). The fiber laser has a ring configuration with isolators (ISOs) on each end of the gain-fiber section, a fiberized grating-based tunable filter with a 3 dB bandwidth of 3 nm for tuning the wavelength, a polarization controller (PC), and a 3 dB (50%) coupler (TAP) to remove half the recirculating light as laser output. Because the tunability at the short-wavelength end was limited by insertion loss of the WDMs, the researchers expect to extend the tuning range down to around 1700 nm with better WDMs. One promising use for this laser is in hollow-core photonic-bandgap fiber (HC-PBGF) communications systems, which are in the research stage and have a predicted low-loss window at around 2 μm. Contact Zhihong Li at [email protected].

About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.

Sponsored Recommendations

Demonstrating Flexible, Powerful 5-axis Laser Micromachining

Sept. 18, 2024
Five-axis scan heads offer fast and flexible solutions for generating precise holes, contoured slots and other geometries with fully defined cross sections. With a suitable system...

Enhance Your Experiments with Chroma's Spectra Viewer

Sept. 5, 2024
Visualize and compare fluorescence spectra with our interactive Spectra Viewer tool. Easily compare and optimize filters and fluorochromes for your experiments with this intuitive...

Optical Filter Orientation Guide

Sept. 5, 2024
Ensure optimal performance of your optical filters with our Orientation Guide. Learn the correct placement and handling techniques to maximize light transmission and filter efficiency...

Ensure Optimal Performance with Shortpass Filters

Sept. 5, 2024
Achieve precise wavelength blocking with our Shortpass Filters. Ideal for applications requiring effective light transmission and cutoff, these filters ensure optimal performance...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!