High-energy eye-safe pulsed fiber amplifiers and sources operating in erbium's L-band
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- providing an optical-fiber amplifier having a first ytterbium-free erbium-doped fiber section;
optically pulse pumping the first erbium-doped fiber section; and
amplifying substantially square signal pulses to an energy of at least ten mJ in the first erbium-doped fiber section, the amplified signal pulses having a duration and having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm, such that pulse profiles of the amplified signal pulses have a ratio of maximum power to minimum power of less than about 1.25 for the duration of each of the amplified signal pulses.
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Abstract
An apparatus and that provide an optical-fiber amplifier having at least one erbium-doped fiber section and an optical pump coupled to the erbium-doped fiber section, wherein the apparatus is operable to amplify signal pulses to high energy in the erbium-doped fiber section, the pulses having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm. In some embodiments, the amplifying fiber is ytterbium free.
157 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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providing an optical-fiber amplifier having a first ytterbium-free erbium-doped fiber section; optically pulse pumping the first erbium-doped fiber section; and amplifying substantially square signal pulses to an energy of at least ten mJ in the first erbium-doped fiber section, the amplified signal pulses having a duration and having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm, such that pulse profiles of the amplified signal pulses have a ratio of maximum power to minimum power of less than about 1.25 for the duration of each of the amplified signal pulses. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 33)
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5. A method comprising:
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providing an optical-fiber amplifier having at least one erbium-doped fiber section; optically pumping the at least one erbium-doped fiber section; and amplifying signal pulses to high energy in the at least one erbium-doped fiber section, the signal pulses having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm, wherein the optically pumping includes pumping with pulsed pump radiation that is synchronized with signal pulses, and wherein a leading-edge overshoot of an output pulse is less than a factor of three (3) compared to a trailing edge amplitude (discounting rise and fall times of about 10% of a signal pulse duration).
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14. An apparatus comprising:
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ytterbium-free erbium-doped means for amplifying substantially square seed signal pulses, the seed signal pulses having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm to generate amplified output signal pulses, and means for optically pumping the means for amplifying, such that the amplified output signal pulses from the means for amplifying each have an energy of at least ten mJ per pulse, have a duration, and have a pulse profile such that the amplified output signal pulses have a ratio of maximum power to minimum power of less than about 1.25 for the duration of each of the amplified output signal pulses. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 34)
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18. An apparatus comprising:
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an optical-fiber amplifier having at least a first ytterbium-free erbium-doped fiber section; and at least one source of optical pump light operatively coupled to the first erbium-doped fiber section, the apparatus operable to amplify substantially square signal pulses to produce amplified signal pulses each having an energy of at least ten mJ per pulse in the first erbium-doped fiber section, the amplified signal pulses each having a duration and having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm, such that pulse profiles of the amplified signal pulses have a ratio of maximum power to minimum power of less than about 1.25 for the duration of each of the amplified signal pulses. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35)
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26. An apparatus comprising:
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an optical-fiber amplifier having at least one erbium-doped fiber section; and at least one source of optical pump light operatively coupled to the at least one erbium-doped fiber section, the apparatus operable to amplify signal pulses to an energy at least one mJ per pulse in the at least one erbium-doped fiber section, the signal pulses having a wavelength in the range of about 1565 nm to about 1630 nm, wherein the at least one source of optical pump light is operable to provide pulsed pump radiation that is synchronized with signal pulses, and wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a leading-edge overshoot is less than a factor of three (3) compared to a trailing edge amplitude (discounting rise and fall times of about 10% of a signal pulse duration).
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Specification