Passive Q-switching by Tm3+co-doping of a Yb3+-fiber laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Optical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Fiber lasers offer advantages like good beam quality and robustness.
• Q-switching is crucial for generating high-peak-power laser pulses.
• Tuning laser output wavelength is essential for many spectroscopic and industrial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate Q-switching in a wavelength-tunable Ytterbium (Yb)-doped double-clad fiber laser.
• To investigate the effect of Thulium (Tm) co-doping on laser performance.
• To achieve wavelength tunability and characterize the pulsed output.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser gain medium.
• Incorporated Tm3+ co-doping within the gain fiber.
• Implemented a grating pair in a Littrow-Littman configuration for wavelength tuning.
• Employed Q-switching technique to generate pulsed output.

Main Results:

• Achieved Q-switched operation with up to 2.4 W output power.
• Demonstrated a tunable wavelength range from 1055 nm to 1090 nm.
• Obtained a maximum repetition rate of 140 kHz, pulse energy of 21.8 µJ, and minimum pulse duration of 1.1 µs.
• Measured a maximum spectral linewidth of 4 GHz.

Conclusions:

• Tm3+ co-doping effectively enables Q-switched operation in tunable Yb-doped fiber lasers.
• The developed laser system exhibits promising performance for tunable, high-peak-power pulsed laser generation.
• The wavelength tunability and pulse characteristics make it suitable for diverse applications.