Abstract
Single-crystal fibers are an intermediate between laser crystals and doped glass fibers. They have the advantages of both guiding laser light and matching the efficiencies found in bulk crystals, which is making them ideal candidates for high-power laser and fiber laser applications. This work focuses on the growth of a flexible fiber with a core of dopant (Er, Nd, Yb, etc.) and a polycrystalline clad of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) that will exhibit good wave guiding properties. Direct growth or a combination of growth and cladding experiments are described. Scattering loss measurements at visible wavelengths, along with dopant profile characterization with damage threshold results, are also presented. For single-pass amplification, a single-pass linear gain of 7.4 was obtained for 29 nJ pulses of 5 ns duration at 1 MHz repetition rate. We also obtained a laser efficiency of over 58% in a diode-pumped configuration. These results confirm the potential for single-crystal fibers to overcome the limitations of the glass fibers commonly used in fiber lasers, making them prime candidates for high-power compact fiber lasers and amplifiers.
Highlights
Fiber lasers find many applications in materials processing
The laser heated pedestal growth (LHPG) technique used for our work has proven very uniquely versatile and suited for
The LHPG technique used for our work has proven very uniquely versatile and suited for high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers
Summary
Fiber lasers find many applications in materials processing. Applications such as cutting, welding, drilling, and marking metal accounted for more than half of fiber laser sales. To maximize the penetration of fiber lasers in these and other market segments, it is necessary to increase their output power. Conventional fiber lasers, in which the gain medium consists of a single-fused silica fiber, can emit only about 1.2 kW of power. This limit stems from the physical properties of rare-earth-doped silica fibers. Compared with amorphous silica fibers, the single-crystal yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
