Single crystal Er^sup 3+^ : YAG fibers with tailored refractive index profiles

Erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er3+:YAG) rods were inserted inside undoped tubes and grown into single-crystal fibers of a diameter of 300 μm using the laser-heated pedestal growth technique. Growth at various rates resulted in radially graded distributions of Er3+ dopant ions, as observed us...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics (2004) 2018-01, Vol.57 (2), p.362
Main Authors: Cheng, L, Chick, T, Chapman, J, Dreyer, E F C, Nie, C D, Bera, S, Harrington, J A, Rand, S C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Amplification
Crystal fibers
Crystal growth
Diffusion coefficient
Diffusion theory
Dopants
Erbium
Laser applications
Laser beam heating
Laser induced fluorescence
Lasers
Optical properties
Reflectometry
Refractivity
Single crystals
Thermal diffusion
Tubes
Yttrium
Yttrium-aluminum garnet
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Summary:Erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er3+:YAG) rods were inserted inside undoped tubes and grown into single-crystal fibers of a diameter of 300 μm using the laser-heated pedestal growth technique. Growth at various rates resulted in radially graded distributions of Er3+ dopant ions, as observed using laser-induced fluorescence imaging. Profiles of the refractive index were measured using cross-sectional reflectometry in a microscope. Dopant distributions and the corresponding index profiles were compared with thermal diffusion theory to determine the inter-diffusion coefficient of Y3+ and Er3+ ions at 2000°C, yielding an estimated value of 𝐷=(9.10±0.8)×10−11  m2/s. This work constitutes a step toward controlled growth of fibers with high thermal conductivities, low Brillouin gain, and waveguiding properties required for high-power optical amplifier and laser applications.
ISSN:1559-128X
2155-3165