Femtosecond tunable solitons up to 4.8 µm using soliton self-frequency shift in an InF3 fiber.

A tunable ultrashort soliton pulse source reaching up to 4.8 µm is demonstrated based on a 2.8 µm femtosecond fiber laser coupled to a zirconium fluoride fiber amplifier followed by a small core indium fluoride fiber. This demonstration is extending by 300 nm the long wavelength limit previously reported with soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) sources based on fluoride fibers. Our experimental and numerical investigation highlighted the spectral dynamics associated with the generation of highly redshifted pulses in the mid-infrared using SSFS enhanced by soliton fission. This study is intended at providing a better understanding of the potential and limitations of SSFS based tunable femtosecond fiber sources in the 3-5  µm spectral range.

Recent developments in lanthanide-doped mid-infrared fluoride fiber lasers [Invited].

Mid-infrared fiber sources, emitting between 2.5 µm and 5.0 µm, are interesting for their great potential in several application fields such as material processing, biomedicine, remote sensing and infrared countermeasures due to their high-power, their diffraction-limited beam quality as well as their robust monolithic architecture. In this review, we will focus on the recent progress in continuous wave and pulsed mid-infrared fiber lasers and the components that bring these laser sources closer to a field deployment as well as in industrial systems. Accordingly, we will briefly illustrate the potential of such mid-infrared fiber lasers through a few selected applications.

Long period fiber gratings for the mitigation of parasitic laser effects in mid-infrared fiber amplifiers.

A concept to mitigate parasitic lasing in mid-IR fiber amplifiers using a single long period fiber grating is shown. Using tightly confined ultrashort laser pulses at 800 nm, a grating was directly inscribed into the core of an erbium doped fluoride glass fiber showing a strong attenuation down to -27 dB at desired wavelength. The concept reveals great potential to improve the average output power and attainable spectral range of low repetition rate in-amplifier supercontinuum generation.

20 W splice-free erbium-doped all-fiber laser operating at 1610 nm.

We report on a splice-free erbium-doped all-fiber laser emitting over 20 W at a wavelength of 1610 nm, with a slope efficiency of 19.6 % and an overall efficiency of 18.3% with respect to the launched pump power at 976 nm. The simple cavity design takes advantage of fiber Bragg gratings written directly in the gain fiber through the polymer coating and clad-pumping from a single commercial pump diode to largely simplify the assembling process, making this cavity ideal for large-scale commercial deployment. Two single-mode and singly erbium-doped silica fibers were fabricated in-house: the first to assess the effects of a high erbium concentration (0.36 mol.% Er2O3), yielding a low efficiency of 2.5 % with respect to launched pump power, and the second to achieve the improved result mentioned above (0.03 mol.% Er2O3). Numerical simulations show the link between the performance of each cavity and ion pair-induced quenching.

Compact 3-8 µm supercontinuum generation in a low-loss As2Se3 step-index fiber.

A mid-infrared supercontinuum source spanning from 3 to 8 µm is demonstrated using a low-loss As2Se3 commercial step-index fiber. A maximum average output power of 1.5 mW is obtained at a low repetition rate of 2 kHz. Thanks to the low NA step-index fiber, the output is single mode for wavelengths above ∼5 µm. The pump source consists of an erbium-doped ZrF4-based in-amplifier supercontinuum source spanning from 3 to 4.2 µm. The effects of both the pump power and As2Se3 fiber length on the output characteristics are studied. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first compact supercontinuum source ever reported to reach 8 µm in a standard step-index fiber.

Watt-level fiber-based femtosecond laser source tunable from 2.8 to 3.6 µm.

The development of compact and reliable ultrafast sources operating in the mid-infrared region could lead to major advances in both fundamental and applied sciences. In this Letter, we report on a simple and efficient laser system based entirely on erbium-doped fluoride glass fibers that generates high-energy Raman soliton pulses tunable from 2.8 to 3.6 µm at a high average output power. Stable 160 fs pulses at 3.4 µm with a maximum energy of 37 nJ, a corresponding average output power above 2 W, and an estimated peak power above 200 kW are demonstrated. This tunable source promises direct applications in laser processing of polymers and biological materials.

Mid-IR supercontinuum from 2.4 to 5.4 µm in a low-loss fluoroindate fiber.

A mid-infrared supercontinuum extending up to 5.4 µm is generated in a low-loss fluoroindate fiber. It is pumped with an erbium-doped fluoride fiber amplifier seeded with 400 ps pulses at 2.75 µm. Both fibers are fusion spliced to increase the robustness and long-term stability of the system. With more than 82% of the total power beyond 3 µm, this approach is promising for efficient mid-IR light generation.

In-amplifier mid-infrared supercontinuum generation.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum (SC) generation from 2.6 to 4.1 µm is demonstrated in a single-mode erbium-doped fluoride glass fiber amplifier pumped at 976 nm and seeded by an optical parametric generation (OPG) source emitting 400 ps pulses at 2.75 µm. Up to 82% of the SC power is generated beyond 3 µm. This novel and simple in-amplifier SC generation approach is promising for the development of compact and efficient sources operating in the mid-infrared, especially in the 3-5 µm band.