Passively mode-locked short-cavity 10GHz Er:Yb-codoped phosphate-fiber laser using carbon nanotubes

Shinji Yamashita, Takeshi Yoshida, Sze Y. Set, Pavel Polynkin, Nasser Peyghambarian

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Passively mode-locked fiber lasers are the best pulsed sources available today due to their simplicity and their ability to generate transform-limited pulses in the picosecond regimes. A drawback of the conventional passively mode-locked fiber lasers is that the pulse repetition rate is relatively low, at best a few tens of MHz, because of long cavity length. In order to raise repetition rate up to a few GHz, the cavity length has to be shortened below a few centimeters. Fiber lasers with such a short cavity require a high gain fiber and a small saturable absorber with low loss. Recently, the authors have proposed and demonstrated a small and low-loss saturable absorber device incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNT). Using CNT, we have realized very stable 2cm-long, 5GHz mode-locked Er:Yb-codoped silica-fiber laser, but the output power was limited to ∼0.2mW due to insufficient gain in the Er:Yb-codoped silica-fiber. Here we used heavily Er:Yb-codoped phosphate fiber to form 1 cm-long cavity with fiber mirrors, and succeeded in generating stable pulse trains with output power as high as 30mW and repetition rate as high as 10GHz at 1535nm.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationFiber Lasers IV
Subtitle of host publicationTechnology, Systems, and Applications
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007
EventFiber Lasers IV: Technology, Systems, and Applications - San Jose, CA, United States
Duration: Jan 22 2007Jan 25 2007

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume6453
ISSN (Print)0277-786X

Other

OtherFiber Lasers IV: Technology, Systems, and Applications
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Jose, CA
Period1/22/071/25/07

Keywords

  • Carbon nanotubes
  • Passive mode-locking
  • Phosphate fiber
  • Saturable absorption

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Passively mode-locked short-cavity 10GHz Er:Yb-codoped phosphate-fiber laser using carbon nanotubes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this