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US 8,804,777 B2Granted
Mid-infrared supercontinuum fiber laser
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
InventorsXiushan Zhu, Nasser N. Peyghambarian, Robert A. Norwood
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Abstract
Mid-IR supercontinuum laser source in the 3-12 micron region generating at least tens of watts of optical power and based on non-silica optical fiber pumped by a ZBLAN fiber laser generating light at about 2.7 microns. The zero-dispersion wavelength of the non-silica fiber substantially coincides with the lasing wavelength. The proportion of the SC output above 3 microns exceeds 40 percent of the overall power output.
Claims13
An all-optical-fiber light source comprising:
- an Er3+-doped pump fiber laser structured to generate light at a lasing wavelength within a spectral range of pump;
- and
- a non-silica-glass optical fiber in optical communication with said pump fiber laser and having a zero-dispersion wavelength substantially equal to the lasing wavelength;
- said all-optical-fiber light source producing a supercontinuum (SC) light power output in the spectral region exceeding 3 microns, when the non-silica-glass fiber is pumped by said pump fiber laser operating in a pulsed regime at the lasing wavelength,
- wherein a ratio of said SC light power output to a total light power output of said all-optical-fiber light source exceeds 40 percent, and
- wherein a long-wavelength boundary of said SC light power output exceeds 4 microns.
3 more elements
A pulsed fiber laser comprising:
- an Er3+-doped ZBLAN optical fiber having input and output facets;
- and
- a saturable absorber in optical communication with the output facet of said optical fiber;
- wherein, when energized with light at about 976 nm through the input facet, said optical fiber generates a train of pulses at a lasing wavelength of about 2.78 microns.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.