High power optical fiber amplifier/laser system
US5790722A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 16, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 4, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 16, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/1608
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A high power Er-doped fiber amplifier/laser system includes a cladding-pumped fiber grating laser that emits an output beam at a wavelength that falls within an absorption band of erbium. The fiber grating laser output beam is used as the pumping source for an Er-doped fiber amplifier or laser. Because the output from the fiber grating laser falls within one of the erbium absorption bands, the amplifier or laser may be directly pumped with the fiber grating laser's output without the need for co-doping. In a preferred embodiment, the fiber grating laser is a 980 nm ytterbium-doped fiber grating laser that is cladding-pumped with a multi-transverse mode diode laser array. The Yb-doped fiber grating laser and the Er-doped fiber amplifier/laser are preferably spliced directly to an input and output arm of a WDM fiber coupler, respectively. This allows the 980 nm output from the Yb-doped fiber grating laser to be coupled to the Er-doped fiber amplifier/laser through an all-fiber path, without having to propagate through air.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.