Open AccessHow do traces of thulium can explain photodarkening in Yb doped fibers?
Author(s) -
Romain Peretti,
Anne-Marie Jurdyc,
B. Jacquier,
Cédric Gonnet,
Alain Pastouret,
Ekaterina Burov,
Olivier Cavani
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.18.020455
Subject(s) - photodarkening , thulium , ytterbium , fiber laser , materials science , optics , doping , lasing threshold , optoelectronics , fiber , wavelength , physics , composite material
Ytterbium doped fiber lasers are known to be impacted by the creation of color centers during lasing so called photodarkening. This defect creation was investigated in a spectroscopic point of view, showing the presence of thulium traces (ppb) in the ytterbium doped fiber. Moreover, this contamination exhibit luminescence in the UV range under 976 nm excitation of the ytterbium-doped fiber. In adding more thulium to an ytterbium-doped fiber it was shown that thulium strongly impact the defects creation process, involved in photodarkening.