Doped Fiber Amplifiers and Lasers

Abstract

The most common solid-state lasers are Nd:YAG laser and Ti:sapphire laser and are used extensively in various laboratories for R&D and also in many applications. These lasers usually require laboratory-like environments and have a reasonably high power consumption requiring maintenance. In this context, optical fiber lasers in which the gain medium is in the form of an optical fiber are revolutionizing the applications of solid-state lasers. Some of the most attractive features of fiber lasers are the direct pumping using semiconductor lasers, high gain achievable with broad bandwidths, and a laser beam with excellent beam quality. Using components developed specifically for the telecommunication application of fiber optics, fiber lasers have seen an explosive growth in terms of high output powers, ultrashort pulses, and extensive wavelength region.