Wavelength-Tuning of Nanosecond Pulses in Er-Doped Fluoride Fibre Amplifier

Abstract

We investigate the gain bandwidth and wavelength-tuning range of an erbium-doped fluoride fibre amplifier. The presented experimental setup consisted of a widely wavelength-tunable optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which was amplified in a single-stage Er-doped fluoride fibre amplifier. The OPO laser provided seed pulses with a pulse width of 5.2 ns and a repetition rate of 10 kHz. The fibre section consisted of 2.2 m of double-clad, single-mode fibre with a doping concentration of 7 mol%. Wavelength-tuning was analysed at gain values of up to 26 dB and amplified pulse energies of up to 37.4 μJ. Using this setup, we demonstrate continuous wavelength tuning of more than 100 nm, covering the wavelength range from 2712 nm to 2818 nm.