Wavelength-Switchable 2 μm Single-Longitudinal-Mode Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on Dual-Active Cavity and DLTCTR

Abstract

A thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) with a dual-active cavity and a directly linked three-coupler triple-ring filter is designed and demonstrated. Its operational principle is analyzed, and a corresponding experimental setup is built. Eleven single-wavelength laser outputs with a single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) output near 2 μm are obtained. The laser output covers a wavelength range from 1933.95 nm to 1971.76 nm, with a continuous switchable output range of 37.81 nm and a minimum center wavelength interval of 0.22 nm. The optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of the output laser within the tuning range is >48.53 dB, and its maximum OSNR is 70.24 dB. The minimum wavelength fluctuation is 0.03 nm, and the power fluctuation is between 0.15 and 2.61 dB. A single wavelength with a center wavelength of 1933.95 nm is monitored for 75 min, and the radio-frequency spectrum is scanned 27 times within the frequency range of 0 to 400 MHz. The results demonstrate that the TDFL can operate continuously and stably in an SLM state. The linewidth and linewidth fluctuation of the TDFL are measured, and the minimum linewidth, corresponding to a measurement time of 0.001 s, is 65.14 kHz. The experimental results show that the proposed TDFL has a high OSNR and excellent wavelength-switching ability, and its SLM operation is very stable.