Ultra-Flat supercontinuum generation in an all-fiber self-Q-switched Er/Yb laser

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 35; no. 8; p. 1
• Main Authors: Espinosa-de-la Cruz, Edwin Addiel, Duran-Sanchez, Manuel, Pottiez, Olivier, Alcantara-Bautista, Ulises, Alaniz-Baylon, Jared, Bello-Jimenez, Miguel, Rodriguez-Morales, Luis Alberto, Armas-Rivera, Ivan, Ibarra-Escamilla, Baldemar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 15.04.2023; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Biomedical materials; Erbium; Fiber lasers; laser; Laser excitation; Optical communication; Optical fiber communication; Optical fiber dispersion; Power generation; Power lasers; pulsed; Pump lasers; Q switched lasers; self-Q-switched; Supercontinuum; Ytterbium
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2023.3254369

A supercontinuum source based on a self-Q-switched Er/Yb-codoped fiber laser has been experimentally demonstrated. At different pump powers, starting at a moderate value of 1.1 W, self-Q-switched pulses with a broad flat spectrum of ~ 560 nm width spanning over the range ~1600 - 2160 nm at -5 dB level (considering the Raman peak) are obtained. Such wide spectrum can be achieved directly at the output of the fiber laser resonator, making the structure compact and robust. With a maximum pump power of 4.9 W, the repetition rate, average output power, peak power and pulse energy are approximately 14.7 kHz, 465 mW, 66 kW and 31 μJ, respectively. This compact SC laser configuration has the merits of simple cavity design, low cost and good robustness, which provide a SC source that can be easily applied to numerous areas, such as spectroscopy, optical communications, metrology and biomedical applications.