Holmium-doped ZBLAN fiber lasers at 1.2 µm

X. Zhu; J. Zong; R. A. Norwood; A. Chavez-Person; N. Peyghambarian; N. Prasad

doi:10.1117/12.906795

15 February 2012 Holmium-doped ZBLAN fiber lasers at 1.2 μm

X. Zhu, J. Zong, R. A. Norwood, A. Chavez-Person, N. Peyghambarian, N. Prasad

Proceedings Volume 8237, Fiber Lasers IX: Technology, Systems, and Applications; 823727 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.906795
Event: SPIE LASE, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Holmium (Ho³⁺)-doped ZBLAN glasses have been investigated for the purpose of achieving efficient fiber lasers at 1.2 μm. Because of the long lifetime of the upper laser level and the small phonon energy in Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN glasses, strong fluorescence at 1.2 μm that usually cannot be observed in Ho-doped silica glass has been measured. Fluorescence of 1 mol%, 3 mol%, and 6 mol% Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN glasses are reported. The effect of cerium and terbium ions on the emission of Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN glass has also been studied. Obstacles to achieving an efficient Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN laser are analyzed and discussed. In studies of a commercial Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber laser, it was found that the 3 μm four-energy-level laser can easily overwhelm the 1.2 μm laser, which is a three-energy-level system having the same upper laser level with the 3 μm laser. In order to effectively suppress the competiting 3 μm transition, advanced Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber has been designed and fabricated for 1.2 μm fiber lasers. Fiber lasers at 1.2 μm using the new Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber have been developed. Our experiments demonstrate that the new Ho³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber is an efficient gain medium for lasers at 1.2 μm.

Citation Download Citation

X. Zhu, J. Zong, R. A. Norwood, A. Chavez-Person, N. Peyghambarian, and N. Prasad "Holmium-doped ZBLAN fiber lasers at 1.2 μm", Proc. SPIE 8237, Fiber Lasers IX: Technology, Systems, and Applications, 823727 (15 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.906795

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available