Optical fiber laser

Patent · Tue Jul 14 00:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6333561

Hakimi, F; Po, H; Snitzer, E

An optical fiber laser is described comprising: a gain cavity including a single mode optical fiber of given length having a core with a given index of refraction and a cladding surrounding the core and having an index of refraction lower than that of the core. The core comprises a host glass having incorporated a laser gain material with a fluorescence spectrum having at least one broadband region in which there is at least one peak emission line; filter means optically coupled to one end of the gain cavity and reflective to radiation emitted from the gain material over a predetermined wavelength interval about the peak emission line to provide feedback in the gain cavity; an etalon filter section butt coupled to the remaining end of the gain cavity optical fiber, the etalon filter section comprising a pair of filters spaced apart in parallel by a predetermined length of material transparent to any radiation emitted from the gain cavity. The predetermined length of the transparent material is such that the etalon filter section is no longer than the distance over which the wave train energy from the fiber core remains substantially planar so that the etalon filter section is inside the divergent region to enhance feedback in the gain cavity; and means for pumping energy into the gain cavity to raise the interval energy level such that only a small part of the ion population, corresponding to a predetermined bandwidth about the peak emission line, is raised above laser threshold. The laser emits radiation only over narrow lines over a narrow wavelength interval centered about the peak emission line.

• Assignee: Polaroid Corp., Cambridge, MA
• Patent Number(s): US 4680767
• OSTI ID: 6333561
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
DESIGN
DIMENSIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FABRY-PEROT INTERFEROMETER
FIBERS
FILTERS
FLUORESCENCE
GAIN
INTERFEROMETERS
LASER CAVITIES
LASER RADIATION
LASERS
LENGTH
LUMINESCENCE
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
OPERATION
OPTICAL FIBERS
OPTICAL FILTERS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
REFLECTIVITY
REFRACTIVITY
SURFACE PROPERTIES
WAVELENGTHS