Thulium-doped fiber lasers (TDFL) emitting around 2 µm receive growing attention. The Tm3+ ions may be pumped around 0.8 µm into the 3H4 level, but the maximum achievable efficiency in theory reaches only 40 %. Much higher efficiencies are achievable in practice thanks to the cross-relaxation (CR) effect, also called „2-for-1“ process. To trigger the CR effect, very high contents of Tm3+ ions are required, which places significant requirements on the material design; high concentrations of Al2O3 are typically needed to prevent concentration quenching in highly-doped fibers.
MCVD method combined with nanoparticle doping is one of the most perspective methods for the preparation of highly doped alumino-silicate fibers. In this contribution, a large set of thulium-doped fibers was prepared by various methods. The fibers were analyzed with emphasis on the fluorescence lifetime and laser performance, and the nanoparticle doping method was evaluated in comparison with conventional fabrication methods.
Nanostructured or “pixelated” core fibers have attracted great attention thanks to possible design of optical fibers with almost arbitrary refractive index profile, including gradient index nanostructured core, large mode area fibers for high power applications or fiberized free-form optical components. A short review of applications of (nano)structured core active fibers in fiber lasers will be given followed by detailed study of the effect of heat treatment and fiber drawing on the luminescence properties important for fiber laser performance; and application of the erbium- and ytterbium structured-core active fibers in fiber lasers that operate simultaneously at 1 and 1.55 micrometer wavelengths.
Nowadays, the main limiting factor of power scaling of high-power thulium fiber lasers is high heat load causing thermal mode instability (TMI) and other thermally induced difficulties. Increased temperature of the fiber core also leads to large changes of its spectroscopic parameters. In this work, we present the experimental measurements of the temperature dependence of the fluorescence lifetime of the thulium-doped fibers. The results of the temperature-dependent fluorescence lifetime, absorption and emission cross-section spectra, and energy transfer coefficient k3011, which characterizes so-called “two-for-one” cross-relaxation process 3H4, 3H6 → 3F4, 3F4, were employed to develop a numerical model for simulation and optimization of high-power thulium-doped fiber lasers and amplifiers with temperature-dependent fiber characteristics.
Nanocrystalline holmium-doped titanates have been widely investigated for their luminescence properties. Low-phonon pyrochlore lattice supports the radiative energy transfers improving the efficiency of high-power lasers and amplifiers operating around 2 m. However, the chemical reactivity toward the silica prevents the incorporation of ceramic nanoparticles in common optical fibers. Deposition of active ceramic layer on the inner wall of capillary or hollow core fiber represents a promising alternative. We present a versatile sol-gel route to active capillary fibers doped by nanocrystalline (Ho0.05La0.95)2Ti2O7. Nanocrystalline films with tailored properties were prepared by sol-gel method. The sols were coated on silica glass slides to receive a set of reference samples and soaked into silica capillary fibers making the coatings on the inner capillary wall. The presented approach led to the formation of homogenous nanocrystalline (Ho0.05La0.95)2Ti2O7 films with tailored nanocrystal size up to 87 nm and refractive index of about 2.2. All prepared samples showed an intensive emission at 2.0 m under an excitation at 450 nm and the luminescence decay time of about 7.3 ms. The presented method enables the preparation of homogenous and highly transparent thin films with tailored properties. These films are suitable for preparation of bulk luminophores and planar active optical components operating at 2 μm.
Recent evolution in nanoscience and nanotechnologies has brought novel possibilities in the development of optical fibers. Dual-wavelength fiber lasers have attracted scientific attention due to their prospective applications in fields including next-generation optical fiber communication, ranging systems, and spectroscopy. Nanostructurization has shown itself as a suitable method for preparing fiber lasers operating simultaneously at dual wavelengths. We report on the design of nanostructured or “pixelated” core fabricated by assembling erbium- and ytterbium elements, as well as on the optimization of the average concentration of rare earth elements using numerical modeling. Preliminary experimental results of erbium- and ytterbium-doped nanostructured-core fiber will be presented.
For applications in fiber lasers and amplifiers, silica glass remains a perspective host for rare-earth ions thanks to favorable material properties. However, the luminescence of RE ions is hindered by the high phonon energy of silica lattice and low solubility of RE ions, which cause luminescence quenching. Pure silica thus needs to be co-doped with suitable additives such as Al2O3, which form a beneficial low-phonon environment and increase the solubility of RE ions. Luminescence lifetime is one of the most important parameters to determine the suitability of RE-doped silica fibers for laser operation. Optical fibers with higher luminescence lifetime typically exhibit higher values of slope efficiency and lower laser threshold. It was previously shown that the environment of Tm3+, Ho3+ or Yb3+ ions and luminescence lifetime may be significantly affected by fabrication processing at high temperatures, probably due to the chemical changes occurring in the matrix. However, the effect of fabrication processing on the spectroscopic properties of another important RE ion, Er3+, is different to the other ions and remains unclear. In this contribution, we present a study on the fluorescence lifetime of a highly-doped optical fiber prepared by the MCVD method combined with nanoparticle-doping. The fluorescence lifetime of Er3+ was studied in several stages of fabrication processing. The influence of fabrication processing on the fluorescence lifetime of Er3+ ions was analyzed and discussed.
This conference presentation, “Evaluation of aerodynamic levitation laser heating technique for synthesis of silicate glasses with gold nanoparticles” was recorded for the Nonlinear Optics and its Applications 2022 conference at SPIE Photonics Europe 2022.
Zinc-silicate glass-ceramic materials based on ZnO and Zn2SiO4 nanoparticles distributed in amorphous silica matrix represent one of the most perspective options to improve the photoluminescence properties of Er3+ ions, thanks to their low phonon energy and the possibility of energy transfer between the ZnO/Zn2SiO4 nanoparticles and Er3+ ions. In this paper, we focus on the investigation of crystallization in the sodium- and potassium-zinc-silicate system and the photoluminescence properties of Er3+ -doped glass-ceramic materials. It was found that the presence of Na2O promotes the crystallization of Zn2SiO4 resulting in non-transparent glass-ceramic material at 750 °C, whereas the K2O-ZnO-SiO2 material remained transparent in the entire heat treatment range. Nevertheless, the crystallization of ZnO and Zn2SiO4 leads to an increase of photoluminescence intensity of Er3+ ions by up to 300 % compared to the pre-cursor glass. The Stark-splitting of the Er3+ emission spectra at 1.5 μm after 978 nm excitation as well as shortening of the fluorescence lifetime suggest the incorporation of Er3+ ions inside the highly symmetric environment of ZnO and Zn2SiO4.
Holmium-doped aluminosilicate fibers are frequently used in holmium-doped fiber lasers (HDFL) thanks to their strong emission at 2 μm. Fluorescence lifetime is one of the most important parameters to determine the suitability of holmium doped optical fibers for use in fiber lasers. One of the potential mechanisms for the shortening of fluorescence lifetime is the diffusion of RE ions and Al2O3 at high temperatures during the fiber preparation process. We have prepared a Ho-doped aluminosilicate optical fiber preform using MCVD combined with nanoparticle doping. The prepared preform was subjected to various fabrication processes such as preform elongation, fiber drawing or additional heat treatment, the fluorescence lifetime was measured in all stages of the experiment and its dependency on the fabrication process was discussed. The original preform exhibited a long fluorescence lifetime of 1.433 ms. Gradual application of fiber fabrication processes such as preform elongation or fiber drawing resulted in a decline of fluorescence lifetime down to 1.174 ms in the case of overcladded optical fiber. The decrease of fluorescence lifetime was ascribed to the diffusion of dopants and the changes in the Ho3+ ion environment, which increased the rate of multiphonon relaxation, as well as clustering of holmium ions, which increased concentration quenching.
In this paper, we investigate the influence of various nanostructured-core fiber fabrication processes, such as preform elongation or fiber drawing, on the fluorescence lifetime of Yb3+ ions. The optical fiber preform was prepared using Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD) method combined with Al2O3 nanoparticle doping. The optical fiber preform was subjected to various processing treatments involving heat and mechanical stresses, i.e. preform elongation and fiber drawing, and the fluorescence lifetime was measured in all stages of fiber fabrication, i.e. original preform, elongated preform (cane), fiber and overcladded fiber. It was found that the time-resolved photoluminescence properties of Yb3+ ions in silica glass are strongly dependent on the processing of the material. The fluorescence lifetime of the 2F5/2 level of Yb3+ ions decreased with the heat and mechanical treatment, which was explained by the break-up of Al2O3 nanoparticles, diffusion of dopants and changes in the Yb3+ phonon environment as well as clustering of the Yb3+ ions. The fiber drawing exhibited a stronger effect compared to preform elongation which was ascribed to the high rate of cooling and mechanical stresses during the drawing process. In general, the heat and mechanical processing of Yb-doped optical fiber preforms leads to a deterioration of time-resolved photoluminescence properties.
Thulium-doped fiber lasers (TDFL) are currently in focus of intense research worldwide with a great application potential in a spectral region around 2 μm. Their broad utilization includes among others medicine, defense or material processing. TDFL are in foreground of the interest especially thanks to a thulium energy level structure which enables a so-called two-for-one cross-relaxation (CR) process. This CR process presents a way to generate two photons at 2 μm from one pump photon at around 790 nm, and thus it allows to efficiently generate emission at 2 μm from available high brightness laser diodes emitting around 790 nm.
Although the CR process is very promising and high-power fiber lasers based on it have already been presented, there are still reserves in its practical exploitation. In order to push the practical limits, reliable theoretical models are necessary. Among all parameters needed for the modelling, those describing energy transfers (ET) between thulium levels pose the main uncertainty.
In this contribution, we present a method of energy transfer coefficients evaluation using rate equation modelling. This approach was based on a set of rate equations relating populations of energy levels with spectroscopic data. The coefficients were derived from fluorescence measurements by fitting fluorescence decay curves with theoretical equations. Studied fibers were pumped at two wavelengths – 793 nm and 1620 nm. Fluorescence curves were collected at 800 nm and 2 μm. All combinations of pumping and fluorescence measurements were examined for various pump power in a range up to 70 mW. Calculated energy transfer coefficients will be used in theoretical investigations and optimization of thulium-doped silica-based fiber lasers.
In this work, phase-separated fibers of the system SiO2-ZrO2 doped by thulium and holmium ions were prepared by modified solution-doping method combined with MCVD. The ZrO2 concentration in both fibers was approx. 3 mol. %. The rare-earth ion concentrations were 270 and 740 ppm, respectively. The presence of ZrO2-based nanoparticles in the optical fiber preforms was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The background losses of the fibers were in the range of 0.1 – 0.6 dB/m. The fibers exhibited strong emission in the near-infrared region thanks to 4f-4f transitions of rare-earth ions. The photoluminescence decay of both fibers exhibited double exponential character, most likely due to the incorporation of rare-earth ions in different optically active sites, i.e. ZrO2-based nanoparticles and grain boundaries or amorphous silica matrix. The fibers were tested as active mediums in fiber laser setup. The thulium-doped fiber exhibited threshold for laser operation of 233 mW and slope efficiency of 72.7 %. The holmium doped fiber failed to manifest lasing properties. An improved laser performance may be achieved by higher proportion of rare-earth ions incorporating in the favorable environment of the nanoparticles.
Holmium-doped silica-based optical fibers belong to intensively studied materials for fiber laser sources operating around 2.1 μm. In this contribution, we deal with silica-based optical fibers doped with holmium and aluminum oxide. The fibers were prepared by the modified chemical vapor deposition method combined either with a solution doping or a nanoparticle doping. A large set of fibers with various dopant concentrations was characterized related to their fluorescence lifetime, laser threshold and slope efficiency. The best-performance fibers exhibited a fluorescence lifetime longer than 1 ms, a laser threshold under 200 mW and a slope efficiency around 80%. These characteristics are discussed regarding the doping method and dopant concentrations.
Optical fibers and optical fiber bundles are often used for endoscopy and related (minimally invasive) medical methods because they offer good transparency together with flexibility. The ability to perform the operation, monitoring and chemical analysis of tissues with minimal disruption of the skin or internal organs of the patient is very promising in the medical field. Traditionally, silica optical fibers are used. Although silicon oxide is a biocompatible material, its use involves a serious health risk due to its fragility and the fact that potential fiber fragments can freely move inside the body and they are not detectable by conventional methods such as X-ray imaging. A possible solution to this issue can be the development of optical fibers based on biodegradable materials. Important benefit of bioresorbable fibers is that they do not need to be explanted after their use. We report on the optical power transmission tests of recently developed bioresorbable optical fibers based on phosphate glasses. Continuous-wave fiber lasers at 1080 and 1060 nm with output powers up to 7 W and a picosecond laser source at 515 nm with MW pulse peak power were used.
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