All-fiber Supercontinuum Source Research Articles

40 W of supercontinuum generated by a self-pulsed pump-sharing oscillator-amplifier.

We demonstrate an all-fiber supercontinuum (SC) source delivering up to 40W of average power ranging from 750to 2200nm. The laser source is based on a self-Q-switched pump-sharing oscillator-amplifier. The self-Q-switched master oscillator generates giant pulses, amplified in the high-power stage. Finally, a passive fiber acts as a nonlinear stage, improving the spectrum flatness as well as the spectral broadening. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a pump-sharing oscillator-amplifier is used for SC generation and is based on the use of a submeter Ytterbium-doped fiber length inside the oscillator.

714 W all-fiber supercontinuum generation from an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier

An all-fiber supercontinuum (SC) source with record average output power of 714 W and spectrum ranging from 690 nm to 2350 nm is demonstrated. The method of SC generation from an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier is used to achieve the high-power SC output. The source also exhibits a flat spectrum ranging from 1050 nm to 2095 nm at the −10 dB level. The parameters that influence the output power and spectrum of SC, including the pulse width of the seed laser and the passive fiber length in the last stage fiber amplifier, are analyzed in detail. To the best of our knowledge, the output power of SC in this work is the highest power that has been publicly reported. The scheme has the advantage of good robustness, which also has the potential to further increase the SC output power to the kilowatt level.

30 W all-fiber supercontinuum generation via graded-index multimode fiber pumped by picoseconds laser pulse

We demonstrated an over 30 W all-fiber supercontinuum source based on a four-mode graded-index multimode fiber (GIMF) pumped by around 5 picoseconds laser pulse. Following the evolution of the supercontinuum, it is reasonable to conclude that the discrete spectral peaks in the range 350–700 nm were generated owing to the geometric parametric instability effect and quasi-phase matched harmonic generation, whereas the radiation of dispersive waves, stimulated Raman scattering, and relative effects of optical soliton caused spectral broadening ranging from 700 nm to 1750 nm (and even to 2400 nm). Furthermore, the properties of the supercontinua generated in the four-mode GIMF and the 50/125 standard GIMF were experimentally compared. This comparison implied that the wavelengths radiated by the geometric parametric instability differed owing to different dispersion values. And the supercontinuum generated by the four-mode GIMF had a flatter spectral profile and a wider wavelength range.

High Power All-Fiber Supercontinuum System Based on Graded-Index Multimode Fibers

An all-fiber supercontinuum source based on graded-index multimode fibers is reported. The supercontinuum source is based on a homemade mode-locked oscillator and a three-stage picosecond amplifier, which obtained the supercontinuum by a graded-index multimode fiber. The laser output with a spectral range of 480–2440 nm, an average power of 25 W, and a repetition frequency of 8.27 MHz is obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest average power for generating a supercontinuum with an all-fiber structure based on the graded-index fiber. The effects of GRIN fiber length and different pump peak powers on the supercontinuum generation are also verified. The results showed that the graded-index multimode fiber can effectively obtain a supercontinuum with high power.

All-fiber supercontinuum source operating at 1\xa0\u03bcm with combination of different PCFs

We demonstrate an all-fiber scheme for generating supercontinuum spectrum based on a combination method. The configuration employed a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber for dispersion pre-management, an Yb-doped gain fiber for amplification and a special tapered photonic crystal fiber for supercontinuum generation. This setup allows for the generation of highly coherent supercontinuum with 30-dB bandwidth covering from 800 to 1240 nm as well as dispersive waves at 480 nm and 540 nm. The initial pulses were centered at 1030 nm with average power of 90 mW and repetition rate of 216 MHz. Based on the generated supercontinuum and dispersive waves at 540 nm, an envelope-carrier phase offset frequency with signal to noise ratio up to 37 dB was detected by a standard f-2f interferometer. The high signal to noise ratio shows that the infrared supercontinuum and the dispersive waves were highly coherent. Such a robust supercontinuum source achieved at low energy would promote the application of laser comb in precision measurement.

High-power, ultra-broadband supercontinuum source based upon 1/1.5 µm dual-band pumping

We experimentally demonstrate an all-fiber supercontinuum source that covers the spectral region ranging from visible to mid-infrared. The ultra-broadband supercontinuum is realized by pumping a cascaded photonic crystal fiber and a highly nonlinear fiber with a 1/1.5 μm dual-band pump source. A maximum output power of 9.01 W is achieved using the system, which is the highest power ever achieved from a supercontinuum source spanning from the visible to mid-infrared.

Supercontinuum Generation by Using a Highly Germania-Doped Fiber With a High-Power Proportion Beyond 2400 nm

A high-power all-fiber supercontinuum (SC) source in a highly germania-doped fiber (GDF) pumped by a picosecond thulium-doped master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system is presented. By further optimizing the length of the GDF, the long-wavelength edge of the wideband flat SC can be broadened to 3 μm. The flat SC has an average output power of 11.62 W and a 3 dB bandwidth of 750 nm. The power proportion beyond 2400 nm is as high as 55.3%. To our knowledge, this SC average output power is the highest from a highly GDF.

A 70 W thulium-doped all-fiber laser operating at 1940 nm

An all-fiber thulium-doped fiber laser operating at a wavelength of 1940 nm is reported. A maximum output continuous-wave power of 70.7 W with a slope efficiency of 59%, determined with respect to the absorbed pump power, was demonstrated. The laser delivered almost a single-mode beam with a beam quality factor of < 1.3.Full Text: PDF ReferencesM. N. Zervas and C. A. Codemard, "High Power Fiber Lasers: A Review", IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 20, 0904123 (2014). CrossRef D. J. Richardson, J. Nilsson, and W. A. Clarkson. "High power fiber lasers: current status and future perspectives [Invited]", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 27, B63 (2010). CrossRef J. Swiderski, A. Zajac, and M. Skorczakowski, "Pulsed ytterbium-doped large mode area double-clad fiber amplifier in MOFPA configuration", Opto-Electron. Rev. 15, 98 (2007). CrossRef M. Eckerle et al. "High-average-power actively-modelocked Tm3+ fiber lasers", Proc. SPIE 8237, 823740 (2012). CrossRef J. Swiderski, D. Dorosz, M. Skorczakowski, and W. Pichola, "Ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier with tunable repetition rate and pulse duration", Laser Phys. 20, 1738 (2010). CrossRef P. Grzes and J. Swiderski, "Gain-Switched 2-μm Fiber Laser System Providing Kilowatt Peak-Power Mode-Locked Resembling Pulses and Its Application to Supercontinuum Generation in Fluoride Fibers", IEEE Phot. J. 10, 1 (2018). CrossRef S. Liang et al. "Transmission of wireless signals using space division multiplexing in few mode fibers", Opt. Express 26, 6490 (2018). CrossRef J. Swiderski, M. Michalska, and P. Grzes, "Broadband and top-flat mid-infrared supercontinuum generation with 3.52 W time-averaged power in a ZBLAN fiber directly pumped by a 2-µm mode-locked fiber laser and amplifier", Appl. Phys. B 124, 152 (2018). CrossRef F. Zhao et al. "Electromagnetically induced polarization grating", Sci. Rep. 8, 16369 (2018). CrossRef J. Sotor et al. "Ultrafast thulium-doped fiber laser mode locked with black phosphorus", Opt. Lett. 40, 3885 (2015). CrossRef M. Olivier et al. "Femtosecond fiber Mamyshev oscillator at 1550 nm", Opt. Lett. 44, 851 (2019). CrossRef J. Swiderski and M. Michalska, "Over three-octave spanning supercontinuum generated in a fluoride fiber pumped by Er & Er:Yb-doped and Tm-doped fiber amplifiers", Opt. Laser Technol. 52, 75 (2013). CrossRef C.Yao et al. "High-power mid-infrared supercontinuum laser source using fluorotellurite fiber", Optica 5, 1264 (2018). CrossRef J. Swiderski and M. Maciejewska, "Watt-level, all-fiber supercontinuum source based on telecom-grade fiber components", Appl. Phys. B 109, 177 (2012). CrossRef O. Traxer and E. X. Keller, "Thulium fiber laser: the new player for kidney stone treatment? A comparison with Holmium:YAG laser", World J. Urol., 1-12 (2019). CrossRef M. Michalska, et al. "Highly stable, efficient Tm-doped fiber laser—a potential scalpel for low invasive surgery", Laser Phys. Lett. 13, 115101 (2016). CrossRef R. L. Blackmon et al. "Thulium fiber laser ablation of kidney stones using a 50-μm-core silica optical fiber", Opt. Eng., 54, 011004 (2015). CrossRef A. Zajac et al. "Fibre lasers – conditioning constructional and technological", Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech. 58, 491 (2010). CrossRef C. Guo, D. Shen, J. Long, and F. Wang, "High-power and widely tunable Tm-doped fiber laser at 2 \mu m", Chin. Opt. Lett. 10, 091406 (2012). CrossRef F. Liu et al. "Tandem-pumped, tunable thulium-doped fiber laser in 2.1 μm wavelength region", Opt. Express 27, 8283 (2019). CrossRef H. Ahmad, M. Z. Samion, K. Thambiratnam, and M. Yasin, "Widely Tunable Dual-Wavelength Thulium-doped fiber laser Operating in 1.8-2.0 mm Region", Optik 179, 76 (2019). CrossRef N. M. Fried, "Thulium fiber laser lithotripsy: An in vitro analysis of stone fragmentation using a modulated 110‐watt Thulium fiber laser at 1.94 µm", Lasers Surg. Med. 37, 53 (2005). CrossRef N. M. Fried, "High‐power laser vaporization of the canine prostate using a 110 W Thulium fiber laser at 1.91 μm", Lasers Surg. Med. 36, 52 (2005). CrossRef E. Lippert et al. "Polymers Designed for Laser Applications-Fundamentals and Applications", Proc. SPIE 6397, P639704 (2006). CrossRef N. Dalloz et al. "High power Q-switched Tm3+, Ho3+-codoped 2μm fiber laser and application for direct OPO pumping", Proc. SPIE 10897, 108970J (2019). CrossRef N. J. Ramírez-Martinez, M. Nunez-Velazquez, A. A. Umnikov, and J. K. Sahu, "Highly efficient thulium-doped high-power laser fibers fabricated by MCVD", Opt. Express 27, 196 (2019). CrossRef T. Ehrenreich et al. "1-kW, All-Glass Tm:fiber Laser", Proc. SPIE 7580, 758016 (2010). DirectLink L. Shah et al. "Integrated Tm:fiber MOPA with polarized output and narrow linewidth with 100 W average power", Opt. Express 20, 20558 (2012). CrossRef H. Zhen-Yue, Y. Ping, X. Qi-Rong, L. Qiang, and G. Ma-Li, "227-W output all-fiberized Tm-doped fiber laser at 1908 nm", Chin. Phys. B 23, 104206 (2014). CrossRef

All-Fiber Supercontinuum Source Pumped by Noise-Like Pulse Mode Locked Laser

We demonstrate flat supercontinuum generation in a piece of highly nonlinear fiber pumped with a stable noise-like pulse mode-locked fiber laser. The compact all-fiber laser realizes mode locking based on a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror and emits noise-like mode-locked pulse with high peak power and high average power. The output pulse has a 3-dB bandwidth of ~35.8 nm with the central wavelength of ~1581 nm. Pumping a 102-m highly nonlinear fiber with the noise-like pulse mode-locked fiber laser directly, a flat and weak residual-pump supercontinuum spanning from ~1370 to ~2200 nm is generated. The spectrum within 1865 to 2200 nm contains more than 45% of the whole energy of the supercontinuum.

Shot-to-shot performance analysis of an all-fiber supercontinuum source pumped at 2000 nm

In this paper, we report an all-fiber supercontinuum source pumped with ultra-short pulses at 1.9–2.0 μm, covering over an octave (1200–2400 nm). We investigated the shot-to-shot stability of the supercontinuum generated in a commercially available highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) of different lengths, ranging from 5 to 80 cm, by employing the dispersive Fourier transform method. Our study shows that using shorter HNLFs significantly improves the shot-to-shot stability while maintaining the broad spectral coverage. The supercontinuum generated in HNLFs shorter than 10 cm is characterized by excellent stability despite the anomalous-dispersion characteristic of the fiber. The presented source is characterized by exceptional simplicity, showing readiness for outside-of-lab applications.

Generation of 215 W supercontinuum containing visible spectra from 480 nm

An all-fiber supercontinuum source with 215 W of average power and spectra spanning from 480 nm to over 2000 nm is reported. Constructed with a pulsed seed and four stages of amplifiers based on large-mode-area fiber for mitigating nonlinear effects, the pump power of supercontinuum is up scaled to 556 W. A special designed mode field adaptor is developed to maximize the coupling of pump to photonic crystal fiber for improving the power scaling capability of supercontinuum generation. In the end, the main factors influencing the conversion efficiency are also discussed.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation from 1.6 to >11 μm using concatenated step-index fluoride and chalcogenide fibers.

We demonstrate an all-fiber supercontinuum source that generates a continuous spectrum from 1.6μm to >11 μm with 417mW on-time average power at 33% duty cycle. By utilizing a master oscillator power amplifier pump with three amplification stages and concatenating solid core ZBLAN, arsenic sulfide, and arsenic selenide fibers, we shift 1550nm light to ∼4.5 μm, ∼6.5 μm, and >11 μm, respectively. With 69mW past 7.5μm, this source provides both high power and broad spectral expansion, while outputting a single fundamental mode.

An All-Fiber Supercontinuum Source With 30.6-W High-Power and Ultrawide Spectrum Ranging From 385 nm to Beyond 2400 nm

An all-fiber high power, blue-enhanced supercontinuum generation in a piece of uniform photonic crystal fiber pumped by a picosecond Yb-doped master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) is experimentally demonstrated. The MOPA source is seeded by an actively dissipative soliton mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser with a fundamental repetition rate of approximately 15.33 MHz and a large chirp. By introducing giant chirp to the seed pulses and optimizing the pump power in every stage of the MOPA, an SC with 30.6-W output average power and an extremely wide spectrum of 385 nm to beyond 2400 nm is obtained.

Long-range and high-precision correlation optical time-domain reflectometry utilizing an all-fiber chaotic source.

We propose a long range, high precision optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) based on an all-fiber supercontinuum source. The source simply consists of a CW pump laser with moderate power and a section of fiber, which has a zero dispersion wavelength near the laser's central wavelength. Spectrum and time domain properties of the source are investigated, showing that the source has great capability in nonlinear optics, such as correlation OTDR due to its ultra-wide-band chaotic behavior, and mm-scale spatial resolution is demonstrated. Then we analyze the key factors limiting the operational range of such an OTDR, e. g., integral Rayleigh backscattering and the fiber loss, which degrades the optical signal to noise ratio at the receiver side, and then the guideline for counter-act such signal fading is discussed. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate a correlation OTDR with 100km sensing range and 8.2cm spatial resolution (1.2 million resolved points), as a verification of theoretical analysis.

Low-threshold supercontinuum generation and optimization of PCF-intracavity-excited Q-switched fiber lasers

We experimentally demonstrate a low-pump-threshold all-fiber supercontinuum (SC) source based on PCF-intracavity-excited Q-switched laser. By inserting a silica PCF into 1.06μm actively Q-switched double-clad Yb-doped fiber lasers, a flat SC in the wavelength range of 500–1950nm can be efficiently initiated with a low SC pump-threshold and the SC output power of >420mW. By optimizing the parameters of active Q-switching, we find that the Q-switched repetition rate and modulation duty significantly influence on the SC pump threshold. With the repetition rate of 100Hz and the modulation duty of <5%, the SC pump threshold is as low as 0.3W, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest one reported previously. Moreover, by observing the temporal and spectral evolution, we experimentally reveal and understand the physical mechanisms of the SC generation in such long-pulse intracavity-pumping PCF scheme.

基于碲酸盐微结构光纤的超连续光源

Supercontinuum generation in homemade tellurite microstructured fibers by using a homemade 1 560 nm femtosecond fiber laser as pump source was demonstrated. The effects of the pump power,the length of fiber,the nonlinear coefficient and group velocity dispersion on the supercontinuum generation were investigated in detail. By optimizing the fiber structure,we archived an all-fiber supercontinuum source covering the range from 1 300 to 2 200 nm.

Efficient, high peak power Tm:YLF laser

We demonstrate efficient generation of diode pumped, passively cooled Tm:YLF laser end-pumped by 25-W fiber coupled laser diode. Over 5 W of output power was achieved for 25-W pumping laser and for elongated 120-mm cavity. For the free-running and Q-switching regimes the output spectrum was centered at 1908-nm with linewidth less than 7 nm. In the experiments on active Q-switching up to 5.5 mJ of output energy was demonstrated with pulse duration of 11 ns, corresponding to ~0.5 MW of peak power. Full Text: PDF References Jabczynski, J.K., Gorajek, L., "High repetition rate, high peak power, diode pumped Tm:YLF laser," Laser Phys. Lett. 6 (2), 109-112 (2009) CrossRef Sha, J.J., Shen, D.Y., Zhao, T., Yan, X.F., "High power and highly efficient operation of a Tm:YAG laser in-band pumped at 1617 nm", Laser Phys. Lett. 10, 075801 (2013) CrossRef Guillemet, S., "High pulse energy sub-nanosecond Tm-doped fiber laser". Proc. SPIE 8237, Fiber Lasers IX: Technology, Systems, and Applications, 82373V (2012) CrossRef Swiderski, J., Maciejewska, M., Kwiatkowski, J. and Mamajek, M., "An all-fiber, resonantly pumped, gain-switched, 2 ?m Tm-doped silica fiber laser", Laser Phys. Lett. 10, 015107 (2013). CrossRef Swiderski, J. and Michalska, M., "Generation of self-mode-locked resembling pulses in a fast gain-switched thulium-doped fiber laser," Opt. Lett. 38, 1624-1626 (2013) CrossRef Kwiatkowski, J., Jabczynski, J. K., Gorajek, L., Zendzian, W., Jelinkowa, H., Sulc, J., Nemec, M., Koranda, P., "Resonantly pumped tunable Ho:YAG laser", Laser Phys. Lett. 6 (7), 531-534 (2009) CrossRef Kwiatkowski, J., Jabczynski, J.K., Zendzian, W., Swiderski J., Gorajek, L. and Galecki, L., "Resonantly pumped acousto-optically Q-switched hybrid Ho:YAG laser", Laser Phys. Lett. 8 (4), 281-285 (2011) CrossRef Gallian, A., Fedorov, V. V., "Hotpressed ceramic Cr2+:ZnSe gain-switched laser", Opt. Express 14, 11694?11701 (2006) CrossRef Creeden, D., Ketteridge, P., "Mid-infrared ZnGeP2 parametric oscillator directly pumped by a pulsed 2 ?m Tm-doped fiber laser," Opt. Lett. 33, 315-317 (2008) CrossRef Swiderski, J. and Maciejewska, M., "Watt-level, all-fiber supercontinuum source based on telecom-grade fiber components", Appl. Phys. B 109, 177-181 (2012) CrossRef Swiderski, J. and Michalska, M., "Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a single-mode thulium-doped fiber amplifier", Laser Phys. Lett. 10, 035105 (2013) CrossRef Swiderski, J., Michalska, M. and Maze, G., "Mid-IR supercontinuum generation in a ZBLAN fiber pumped by a gain-switched mode-locked Tm-doped fiber laser and amplifier system," Opt. Express 21, 7851-7857 (2013) CrossRef

A compact seven-core photonic crystal fiber supercontinuum source with 42.3 W output power

We have fabricated a new type of seven-core photonic crystal fiber and demonstrated its all-fiber supercontinuum source pumped with a ytterbium-doped fiber master oscillator power amplifier. The generated supercontinuum covers the wavelength range from 720 nm to beyond 1700 nm, with an output power of 42.3 W. It is the first high-power all-fiber SC source based on seven-core photonic crystal fiber.

Watt-level, all-fiber supercontinuum source based on telecom-grade fiber components

Supercontinuum (SC) generation in a standard telecom fiber using 1 ns pulses of a 1,550-nm DFB laser amplified in a cascade of erbium and erbium/ytterbium fiber amplifiers is reported. The SC source operated at 200 kHz repetition rate and delivered up to 2 W of average output power in the band of 1,300–2,500 nm with a diffraction limited beam. For the wavelengths over 1,650 nm, the output power of 1.1 W was recorded. The spectrum was very flat with the flatness of <5 dB in the wavelength interval of 1.6–2.18 μm. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report on W-level SC generation obtained only in a standard single-mode fiber (SMF-28) with almost the entire spectrum in the eye-safe spectral region (λ > 1.4 μm) permitted by silicate glass transparency.

All-fiber 177.6 W supercontinuum source

Supercontinuum has wide and important applications in a range of fields, so it is one of the hot research spots in recent years. In this paper the mechanism and the latest achievements in high power supercontinuum generation under continuous wave laser pump and pulsed laser pump regimes during the past several years are reviewed. The challenges and the problems that need to overcome in scaling the average output power of supercontinuum generation are analyzed. An all-fiber supercontinuum source constructed at the national university of defense technology is demonstrated with 177.6 W average output power which overcomes the problems of low splicing loss, facet damage of the output fiber, the heat treatment and the effective control of the nonlinear effects through the optimization of the whole system. To the best of the author's knowledge, the 177.6 W average output power is the highest value in ever reported ones.