Erbium-doped fluorozirconate fiber laser pumped by a diode laser source
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Sectretary of the Navy
InventorsLeon Esterowitz, Roger E. Allen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A room temperature laser system for producing a CW Laser emission at substantially 2.7 microns is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the laser system comprises a laser diode source for producing a CW pump beam at a preselected wavelength; and a fiber laser doped with erbium activator ions to produce an output CW laser emission at a wavelength in the range of 2.71-2.78 microns when the fiber laser is pumped by the CW pump beam.
Claims33
A laser system comprising:
- a fiber laser having a length of host fiber doped with erbium activator ions to produce an output CW laser emission at a wavelength in the range of 2.71-2.78 microns when said fiber laser is pumped by a CW pump beam;
- and
- laser pump means for emitting a CW pump beam at a wavelength that will be absorbed by the erbium activator ions in either or both of the .sup.4 I.sub.15/2-.sup.4 I.sub.9/2 and .sup.4 I.sub.15/2-.sup.4 I.sub.11/2 adsorption bands of the erbium in said fiber laser.
A method for producing an output CW laser radiation at substantially 2.7 microns, said method comprising the steps of:
- producing a CW laser radiation in a fiber laser doped with erbium to lase at a wavelength of substantially 2.7 microns;
- and
- continuously pumping the fiber laser with a CW pump radiation to enable the fiber laser to produce the CW laser radiation at substantially 2.7 microns.
A laser system comprising:
- a fiber laser including a gain medium fiber doped with erbium to lase at a wavelength of approximately 2.7 microns, and resonant cavity means for forming a resonant cavity with said gain medium fiber in said resonant cavity, said resonant cavity means including an output coupler for outputting CW laser radiation at approximately 2.7 microns;
- and
- means for continuously providing CW pump radiation into said gain medium fiber.
A method for producing a CW laser radiation at substantially 2.7 microns, said method comprising the steps of:
- optically pumping Er.sup.3+ lasant ions of a gain medium in a fiber laser with the CW pump radiation from a laser diode source;
- developing a laser radiation at substantially 2.7 microns from a laser transition of the optically pumped Er.sup.3+ lasant ions;
- and
- producing an output CW laser radiation at substantially 2.7 microns.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.