All-fiber Master Oscillator Power Amplifier Research Articles

High-power, highly efficient, all-fiber wavelength-tunable polarization-maintaining Tm-doped fiber MOPA system

A 2 μm all-fiber wavelength-tunable polarization-maintaining Tm-doped fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system is presented. We demonstrate an all-fiber ring cavity Tm-doped fiber master-oscillator (MO) with a tuning range of 60 nm (1959.9–2020.1 nm). The maximum output power of 82.4 mW is obtained at 1991 nm with the launched pump power of 16 W at 793 nm, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 10.8 % concerning launched pump power. Finally, through the first stage amplification, the power is successfully amplified to 38.92 W, the slope efficiency is about 31.4 %, and the polarization extinction ratio (PER) reaches 21.4 dB. Then a theoretical simulation is carried out to calculate the influence of different fiber lengths on the slope efficiency and output power of the amplifier stage when the pump power is increased to 420 W, which provides theoretical guidance for the subsequent experiments. Through the simulation, it is found that the output power will be greatly improved by choosing the appropriate fiber length and increasing the pump power.

Backscattered Background Noise of the Lidar Ceilometer Influence Imposed by ASE in Single-Frequency Nanosecond Pulsed Laser at 1.5 μm

In this work, we demonstrate a three-stage all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system emitting over 1 W of the linearly polarized narrow-linewidth pulse output power with 10 kHz pulse repetition frequency and 400 ns pulse width without the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at ~1.5 µm. Initially, we analyze the effect of the ASE on the first derivative of backscatter intensity via a contrast experiment. The experiment results show that the noise intensity with angle of inclination is affected by the ASE of the amplifier, thereby decreasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the output power. The laser is characterized by a very low or no ASE level of the output signal when acquiring the first derivative of backscatter intensity with low noise. This condition provides a reference for improving the properties of the laser used for cloud detection.

Er/Yb co-doped 345-W all-fiber laser at 1535 nm using hybrid fiber.

The 1.5-µm fiber laser is widely used in the fields of laser lidar, remote sensing, and gas monitoring because of its advantages of being eye-safe and exhibiting low atmospheric transmission loss. However, due to the ∼1-µm amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of the Er/Yb co-doped fiber (EYDF), it is difficult to improve the laser power. Here, we simulated the effect of the Er3+ concentration and the seed power on ∼1-µm ASE, and fabricated a large mode area EYDF by the modified chemical vapor deposition process. Additionally, a piece of ytterbium-doped fiber was introduced into the master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration to absorb the generated ∼1-µm ASE simultaneously. Experimental results show that an output power of 345 W with a slope efficiency of 43% at 1535 nm is obtained in an all-fiber configuration, profiting from effective suppression of ∼ 1-µm ASE. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power available with an Er/Yb co-doped fiber from an all-fiber MOPA configuration.

An all-fiber high-power picosecond amplifier with Yb-doped polarization-maintaining tapered fiber

A high-power picosecond all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) was demonstrated based on the Yb-doped polarization-maintaining (PM) tapered double-clad fiber (T-DCF). An all-fiberized pumping unit instead of the free space pumping structure was adopted in the MOPA system to provide a compact robust solution for high-performance amplifiers. The total average output power of 180.3 W was achieved with a slope efficiency of 80.8% by taking advantages of the large fiber mode area and the suppression of nonlinear effects in the T-DCF. The peak power was calculated to be 27.7 kW at the pulse width of 260.8 ps and the repetition rate of 24.91 MHz. The polarization extinction ratio and beam quality (M 2 factor) were measured to be ∼10 dB (91%) and ∼12, respectively.

Time-domain flexible pulse fiber laser generation and high-power evolution based on inter-band excitation of lead sulfide nanoflakes

Ultrafast photonics has become an interdisciplinary topic of great significance owing to the spectacular development of compact and efficient ultrafast pulse generation. Saturable absorbers (SAs) are the kernel for ultrafast pulse generation. However, the conventional SAs performance is plateauing owing to the complex preparation process, the diversification of demand for pulse width, and the relatively low laser output at mill watt level. Herein, high-quality comprehensive vertical Lead Sulfide (PbS) nanoflakes were synthesized by the physical vapor deposition (PVD), and a home-build handy dry-transfer system was used to simplify the fabrication process of PbS saturable absorbers device (PbS-SAs). Total-energy calculations by the density functional theory (DFT) were performed to further understand the saturable absorption characteristic of PbS. A time-domain flexible erbium-doped fiber pulse laser has obtained Q-switched, mode-locked, and highest 14th order harmonic mode-locked pulse. Based on a selected mode-locked operation, an all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) pulse laser system was proposed and demonstrated. The integrated system based on PbS-SAs achieved a time-domain flexible fiber pulse laser, high order harmonic mode-locked pulse, and a picosecond pulse (∼287 ps) with high average power of ∼57.5 W and peak power of ∼13.7 kW at the central wavelength of 1562 nm. This research not only provides a simple manufacturing process for high uniformity SAs devices but also greatly improves output power, which would attract interest in exploring the unique properties of nanocomposite SAs for photonic applications.

2.02 kW and 4.7 GHz linewidth near-diffraction-limited all-fiber MOPA laser

Based on a low time-domain-instability narrow-linewidth seed and a counter-pumped power-amplifier with a 20/400 μm core/inner-cladding-diameter active fiber, an all-fiber 2.02 kW and 4.7 GHz linewidth near-diffraction-limited master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) laser at 1064 nm is demonstrated experimentally. By decreasing the time-domain-instability of the signal, the stimulated Raman scattering effect in the power-amplifier stage is suppressed effectively. As a result, a measured M2 factor of 1.20, and an optical signal-to-noise ratio of >65 dB are obtained at the maximum output power without observation of the transverse mode instability effect. The further enhancement of power scaling of this MOPA laser is restricted by the stimulated Brillouin scattering effect. To the best of our knowledge, this result exhibits the highest output power of all-fiber MOPA laser with narrow linewidth (<5 GHz level), which is highly competitive in spectral beam combining.

Holmium-doped fiber amplifier for pumping a ZnGeP2 optical parametric oscillator.

We present a holmium-doped all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system operating at 2108 nm targeting optical frequency conversion applications. The MOPA delivers pulses of 0.52 mJ energy at 10 kHz repetition rate after three amplification stages, with a close to square-shaped temporal profile of 50 ns duration, diffraction-limited beam quality and linear polarization. Challenges with achieving high gain and efficiency in the final amplification stage are discussed and attributed to quenching effects inferred from measurements of non-saturable absorption in the holmium fibers. Using this MOPA, we demonstrate a mid-IR conversion efficiency of 59% by direct pumping of a ZnGeP2 optical parametric oscillator.

3 mJ All-Fiber MOPA With a Short-Length Highly Er3+-Doped Phosphate Fiber

A very large mode-area 2 wt% erbium-doped double-clad phosphate fiber with a core diameter of 60 μm and core numerical aperture of 0.03 was fabricated and used for the last stage amplifier of an all-fiber pulsed laser master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) at 1550 nm. The Er <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3+</sup> double-clad phosphate fiber has a cladding-core ratio of 2.17 and a V number of 3.6 at 1550 nm. 3 mJ pulses with 21.5 ns duration were obtained with Gaussian-like spatial beam profile with only a 75 cm long phosphate gain fiber.

Tm3+-doped fiber master oscillator power amplifier with broad tunability in pulse duration using an acousto-optic external modulator

ABSTRACTWe demonstrate a pulse-duration tunable Tm3+-doped pulsed all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) operating at a central wavelength of 1908 nm. By using acousto-optic(AO) external modulation, the amplified laser pulse shows a tuning range having pulse durations from 66.5 ns to 8.0 μs and a repetition rate of 100 kHz-2 MHz. The laser achieved a maximum average power of 28.1 W and a corresponding energy of 28.1 μJ at 1MHz with a 3 dB linewidth of 0.63 nm and a beam quality factor of Mx2=1.25 and My2=1.32. The ASE suppression ratio is 50 dB and the corresponding total amplifier gain is 27.5 dB. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest average output power and slope efficiency (∼51.0%) achieved using AO external modulation in a Tm3+-doped pulsed fiber amplifier.

A 51.3 W, sub-kHz-linewidth linearly polarized all-fiber laser at 1560 nm

We demonstrate a continuous-wave high output power and narrow linewidth all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier laser at 1560 nm. The laser output power is 51.3 W with 36.38% optical-to-optical conversion efficiency and a linewidth of 0.865 kHz. The measured signal-to-noise ratio is 49 dB, and the polarization extinction ratio is greater than 20 dB. The laser can be used for high-efficiency nonlinear frequency conversion.

Fabrication and 1046 nm laser behaviors of Yb-doped phosphosilicate binary fiber with a pedestal structure

We report a Yb-doped 25/400 phosphosilicate binary fiber with a pedestal structure by conventional modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) technology and solution doping process. Through Ge-doped raised fiber cladding, the fiber provides a low 0.054 core NA. The core dopant concentration of Yb2O3 and P2O5 is estimated to be 0.48 mol% and 7.4 mol%, respectively. It is found that the Yb-doped phosphosilicate binary fiber shows very low photodarkening loss of 3.7 dB/m at 633 nm, and emission spectrum also shows obvious blue shift. Tested in an all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, more than 3.2 kW laser at 1046 nm is achieved with a suitable 976 nm pump power injected, the slope efficiency is about 85.8%, and the beam factor of M2 is 1.79.

Vector Effects of Dissipative Soliton in All-Fiber MOPA System

The performance of seed laser source will have a great impact on the output pulse quality of the master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system. Here, we report the influence of the soliton vector features on the pulse uniformity in an all-fiber MOPA configuration. We demonstrated that, although the intensity of the dissipative soliton seed source is uniform, the intensity of the output pulse train from the MOPA will show fluctuations if the soliton polarization state is not locked, i.e., polarization-rotating vector soliton. It is found that the appearance of non-uniform pulse intensity is caused by the combination of the polarization instability and the polarization dependent gain in the polarization maintaining fiber amplifier. The obtained results indicate that the polarization evolution of seed pulsed source is critical to generation of stable pulse train from the MOPA, and also might be useful to the communities dealing with solitons and high-power pulsed fiber lasers.

033 mJ, 1043 W dissipative soliton resonance based on a figure-of-9 double-clad Tm-doped oscillator and an all-fiber MOPA system

We demonstrate, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an all-fiber figure-of-9 double-clad Tm-doped fiber laser operating in the dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) regime. Stable mode-locked rectangular pulses are obtained by using the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) technique. A long spool of high-nonlinearity fiber (HNLF) and a segment of SMF-28 fiber are used to enhance the nonlinearity of the NALM loop and to obtain a large all-anomalous regime. Output power and pulse energy are further boosted by using a three-stage master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system. At the maximum pump power, average output power of up to 104.3 W with record pulse energy of 0.33 mJ is achieved with a 2 μm DSR-based MOPA system.

Yb-Doped Aluminophosphosilicate Triple-Clad Laser Fiber With High Efficiency and Excellent Laser Stability

We fully demonstrated an ytterbium (Yb) doped triple-clad laser fiber with intense pump absorption, high efficiency, and laser stability. P5+/Al3+ molar ratio in the central region of fiber core was specially designed to be ∼1.08 for compensating P2O5 evaporation, while the ratio in the outer region was set as ∼0.92 for obtaining a flattened refractive index profile. Applying a two-stage deposition process, one-time collapse technique, low-temperature multi-times sintering, and suitable flow of pure POCl3 during sintering and collapsing process were instrumental in decreasing and offsetting element evaporation. Measured in an all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier configuration, the 7-m-long fiber obtained 1.39 kW near-single-mode laser output at 1079.6 nm with a slope efficiency of 85.2% and a beam quality M 2 of 1.36. Output laser spectrum with no sign of nonlinear-related peaks and a narrow 3-dB-bandwidth of ∼0.33 nm was obtained. The fiber-based laser setup was kept at the maximum power for 1 h with power degradation less than 0.21%. The results demonstrated Yb-doped aluminophosphosilicate triple-clad fiber is a highly competitive candidate for commercial high-power laser and high-power narrow-linewidth fiber laser.

40 W All-Fiber Er/Yb MOPA System Using Self-Fabricated High-Power Passive Fiber Components

In this work, we demonstrate a three-stage all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system emitting over 40 W of continuous-wave (CW) output power at ~1.5 µm. The setup utilizes three self-fabricated high-power passive fiber components: a mode-field adaptor (MFA) and two types of pump and signal power combiners. Their development allowed us to become independent from commercially available components, which are often incompatible with fibers used in the experimental setups, resulting in additional losses. A power combiner with single-mode (SM) signal fibers in a configuration (5 + 1) × 1 was used in the second stage of the MOPA system, which was based on an SM Er–Yb co-doped double-clad (DC) fiber. The fabricated MFA was used to connect the second amplifier stage based on SM fibers with the third amplifier stage based on large-mode-area (LMA) fibers. In the third stage of MOPA system, based on Er–Yb LMA DC fibers, we used the fabricated power combiner based on LMA-type signal fibers in a configuration (6 + 1) × 1. The presented three-stage MOPA system, utilizing self-fabricated high-power passive fiber components, enables amplification of an input signal of 10 mW up to 44 W of the CW power at the wavelengths of 1555 nm and 1563 nm, corresponding to a gain level of approximately 36.4 dB.

High power LP11 mode supercontinuum generation from an all-fiber MOPA.

High power LP11 mode supercontinuum is generated from 25/250 large mode area (LMA) fiber. A mechanical long period grating (LPG) is utilized to control the transverse modes in the LMA fiber to realize the LP11 mode supercontinuum generation in a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration. The generated LP11 mode supercontinuum covers the spectral range from ~900 nm to ~2100 nm with a -30-dB spectral width of ~1200 nm and 50% optical to optical conversion efficiency. The seed laser produces picosecond pulses with 1 MHz repetition rate at the wavelength of 1060 nm. After multi-stage amplification in ytterbium-doped fibers, the average output power is scaled to 54.51 W and 56.79 W respectively for LP11 and LP01 mode, accompanying supercontinuum generation. Obvious difference of supercontinuum generation between the LP01 and LP11 modes is experimentally observed due to the different dispersion characters.

15 W high OSNR kHz-linewidth linearly-polarized all-fiber single-frequency MOPA at 1.6 μm.

A 1603 nm high optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) kHz-linewidth linearly-polarized all-fiber single-frequency master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) is demonstrated. To suppress the amplified spontaneous emission from Yb3+/Er3+ ions with the customized filters and optimize the length of the double cladding active fiber, an over 15 W stable single-longitudinal-mode laser is achieved with an OSNR of >70 dB. A measured laser linewidth of 4.5 kHz and a polarization-extinction ratio of >23 dB are obtained at the full output power. This L-band high-power single-frequency MOPA is promising for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy and pumping of Tm3+-doped or Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped laser.

High-power nanosecond pulse generation from an integrated Tm-Ho fiber MOPA over 2.1 μm.

In this paper, we report on high-power stable nanosecond pulse generation at ~2.1 μm from an integrated Tm-Ho all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system. A total output power of 128.5 W is generated from the Tm-Ho hybrid MOPA, with an average power of 99.1 W from Ho emission at 2116 nm; the corresponding pulse repetition frequency and pulse width are 161 kHz and 322 ns, respectively, leading to a peak power of 1.91 kW. The Tm-Ho integrated master oscillator is designed to operate at 1980 and 2116 nm, where the former wavelength serves as the pump of the Ho-doped fiber. Stable laser pulses are generated from both the Tm and Ho oscillators owing to mutual modulation of emission from the two lasers. The prospects for further scaling in output power at ~2.1 μm using Tm-Ho integrated MOPA system are discussed.

25 W single-frequency, low noise fiber MOPA at 1120 nm.

This Letter reports on the development of a 25W single-frequency, all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) operating at 1120nm. By heating the gain fiber at 75°C, an output power of 25.3W is achieved with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 53.5%. The output shows no sign of stimulated Brillouin scattering and the signal to amplified spontaneous emission ratio is close to 40dB. A M2 value of 1.15 and a polarization extinction ratio of 17dB are measured. The relative intensity noise of the output is also characterized, reaching -155 dBc/Hz at 10MHz at the maximum output power. The study of the noise dynamics highlights, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, an unpredicted behavior due to the strong backward amplified spontaneous emission.

Low-repetition-rate, all-polarization-maintaining Yb-doped fiber laser mode-locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber**Project supported by the Initiative Research Program of State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51527901).

A low-repetition-rate, all-polarization-maintaining (PM)-fiber sub-nanosecond oscillator is presented, which is simple and low-cost, composed of standard components. The ring cavity is elongated by 114-m-long standard PM fiber, and passively mode-locked by a fiber pigtailed semiconductor saturable absorber. Linearly polarized pulses with 1.66 MHz repetition rate and 22 dB polarization extinction ratio are generated at a wavelength of 1030 nm, which is determined by an intracavity filter. In addition, to demonstrate that the oscillator is a good seed for high energy pulse generation, an all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier is built and amplified pulses with energy about are obtained.