Title :
Efficient amplification using the /sup 4/F/sub 3/2//spl rarr//sup 4/I/sub 9/2/ transition in Nd-doped silica fiber
Author :
Dragic, Peter D. ; Papen, George C.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Illinois Univ., Urbana, IL, USA
Abstract :
Amplification characteristics of the three-level /sup 4/F/sub 3/2//spl rarr//sup 4/I/sub 9/2/ transition in Nd-doped silica glass fiber are investigated under strong signal saturation and high pump power (150 mW). Aluminum codoped Nd-silica fibers exhibit strong superfluorescent behavior in the four-level /sup 4/F/sub 3/2//spl rarr//sup 4/I/sub 11/2/ transition which limits the optical conversion efficiency into the three-level transition. Ge-doped silica fibers do not exhibit this limitation and can efficiently amplify in the three-level transition with current laser-diode pump technology.
Keywords :
neodymium; optical fibre amplifiers; optical pumping; silicon compounds; superradiance; /sup 4/F/sub 3/2//spl rarr//sup 4/I/sub 9/2/ transition; 150 mW; Al codoped Nd-silica fibers; Nd-doped silica fiber; SiO/sub 2/:Nd; amplification characteristics; efficient amplification; four-level /sup 4/F/sub 3/2//spl rarr//sup 4/I/sub 11/2/ transition; high pump power; laser-diode pump technology; optical conversion efficiency; strong signal saturation; superfluorescent behavior; three-level transition; Aluminum; Fiber lasers; Glass; Laser excitation; Laser transitions; Optical pumping; Optical saturation; Pump lasers; Silicon compounds; Stimulated emission;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
