YAG-derived fiber for high-power narrow-linewidth fiber lasers

Abstract

We present experimental and modeling results investigating rare earth-doped (Er and Yb) YAG-derived silica fibers (RYDF) as candidates for use in high-power narrow-linewidth fiber lasers. Fabrication of the RYDFs via a rod-in-tube method, starting from crystalline YAG, and its transformation to the amorphous state is described. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) suppression results from material properties that cooperate to yield a low Brillouin gain coefficient (BGC), namely reduced photoelastic constant and increased acoustic velocity, mass density, and Brillouin spectral width relative to silica. We find typical BGC values for large-mode-area RYDFs to be around 0.5×10-11 m/W. Utilizing a materials model, these results are extrapolated to compositionally-design further reductions to the BGC, including introducing other co-dopants to the mixture. Finally, we focus on the Yb-doped RYDF (YYDF) and show that it is a good candidate for use in kW-class narrow-linewidth fiber lasers via spectroscopy and amplifier experiments. The RYDFs are found to be very similar to conventional aluminosilicate fibers. We also find that YYDFs offer improved compatibility with phase modulating the laser for further increases in the SBS threshold. Using novel fiber fabrication methods with less-common and low-silica materials can lead to promising glass recipes with ultra-low intrinsic BGCs.