Study on the characteristics of erbium-doped waveguide ring laser

Abstract

A theoretical model of the erbium-doped waveguide ring laser is established according to the theory of erbium-doped waveguide amplifier and the transmission matrix of waveguide directional coupler. The influence of bend radius, coupling coefficient and doped erbium ion concentration on the characteristics of waveguide ring laser is investigated. It is shown that due to the co-action of waveguide bend loss and other relevant loss there is an optimal bend radius which can provide simultaneously low threshold pumping power and high laser light output power. As one part of the resonator’s loss, the laser light coupling coefficient of directional coupler has an impact on the laser property. The analysis indicates that the laser achieves the high output power when the coupling coefficient is about 0.2. The threshold pumping power is the minimum when the doped erbium ion concentration is 0.85×1026 m−3. Increasing the concentration of doped erbium ions will enhance the output power of laser light as long as the concentration doesn’t introduce remarkable up-conversion effect. The results give a good theoretical basis for the design and fabrication of erbium-doped waveguide ring laser devices.