Novel Er3+/Ho3+‐codoped glass‐ceramic fibers for broadband tunable mid‐infrared fiber lasers

Abstract

AbstractIt is well recognized that a widely wavelength‐tunable mid‐infrared (MIR) fiber laser plays an important role in the development of compact and efficient coherent sources in the MIR range. Herein, the optimizing Er/Ho ratio for enhancement of broadband tunable MIR emission covering 2.6‐2.95 μm in the Er3+/Ho3+‐codoped transparent borosilicate glass‐ceramic (GC) fibers containing NaYF4 nanocrystals under 980 nm excitation was investigated. Specifically, the obtained GC fibers with controllable crystallization and well fsd‐maintained structures were prepared by the novel melt‐in‐tube approach. Owing to the effective energy transfer between Er3+ and Ho3+ after crystallization, the 2.7 μm MIR emission was obviously enhanced and the emission region showed a notable extension from 2.6‐2.82 μm to 2.6‐2.95 μm after the addition of Ho3+. Importantly, we conducted a theoretical simulation and calculation related to the MIR laser performance, signifying that the GC fiber may be a promising candidate for MIR fiber laser. Furthermore, the melt‐in‐tube approach will provide a versatile strategy for the preparation of diverse optical functional GC fibers.