Power scaling potential of single crystal fiber amplifiers

Liang Dong; Joseph Kolis; John Ballato

doi:10.1117/12.2665271

15 June 2023 Power scaling potential of single crystal fiber amplifiers

Liang Dong, Joseph Kolis, John Ballato

Proceedings Volume 12515, Laser Technology for Defense and Security XVIII; 1251508 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2665271
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2023, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

The scaling of fiber amplifiers and lasers to higher output powers is of considerable defense and industrial interests. However, above a given threshold power, parasitic nonlinearities arise that limit continued power scaling. Of the myriad of optical nonlinearities, transverse mode instability (TMI), driven by stimulated thermal Rayleigh scattering, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SBS) are especially problematic as they generally exhibit the lowest threshold powers. Though power-scalable fibers are materially dominated by silica-based glasses, given their low optical losses and industrial maturity, single crystalline fibers have been long been contemplated as intriguing alternatives due to their significantly higher thermal conductivity, especially given recent advances in the growth of cladded single crystal fibers. A few prior efforts have explored the power-scaling potential of single crystal fibers but without considering TMI. Recently, we have developed a TMI model based on combining stimulated thermal Rayleigh scattering and a quasi- 3D fiber amplifier model which has been shown to fit experimentally measured TMI thresholds well. Here, TMI is studied in a double-clad single crystal Yb-doped YAG (Y₃Al₅O₁₂) and lutecia (Lu₂O₃) fiber lasers. The TMI threshold was found to be significantly higher in single crystal fiber lasers. Power scaling analysis was performed for Yb:silica, Yb:YAG and Yb:Lu₂O₃ fiber lasers with TMI considered. This work serves as a useful update to earlier works and shine significant lights on fiber and amplifier designs for maximum average powers.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Liang Dong, Joseph Kolis, and John Ballato "Power scaling potential of single crystal fiber amplifiers", Proc. SPIE 12515, Laser Technology for Defense and Security XVIII, 1251508 (15 June 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2665271

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