High power fiber lasers: current status and future perspectives
High power fiber lasers: current status and future perspectives
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DOI：
10.1364/josab.27.000b63
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发表时间：
2010-11-01
影响因子：
1.9
通讯作者：
Clarkson, W. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Richardson, D. J.;Nilsson, J.;Clarkson, W. A.
在过去十年中，通过使用包层泵浦光纤架构，稀土掺杂光纤光源的输出功率有了显著的提高，导致了一系列基于光纤的器件在输出功率、光束质量、整体效率以及在工作波长和辐射格式方面的灵活性方面具有卓越的性能。高功率领域的成功在很大程度上要归功于光纤的几何结构，它对芯部产生的热量提供了相当大的弹性，并促进了从相对低亮度的二极管泵浦辐射到高亮度激光输出的高效转换。在这篇文章中，我们回顾了掺Yb光纤激光器在连续波和脉冲性能方面的现状，掺Yb光纤激光器是目前选择的光纤增益介质，也是迄今为止在高功率性能方面发展最快的。然后，我们回顾了将该技术扩展到其他稀土掺杂和相关波长的操作的现状和挑战。在整个过程中，我们确定了目前在不同工作模式下限制光纤激光器性能的关键因素，特别是热管理、光学非线性和损坏。最后，我们推测了泵浦激光器技术、光纤设计和制造、结构方法和功能在未来十年中的可能发展，以及它们对光纤激光器性能和工业/科学采用的影响。(C)2010年美国光学学会
The rise in output power from rare-earth-doped fiber sources over the past decade, via the use of cladding-pumped fiber architectures, has been dramatic, leading to a range of fiber-based devices with outstanding performance in terms of output power, beam quality, overall efficiency, and flexibility with regard to operating wavelength and radiation format. This success in the high-power arena is largely due to the fiber's geometry, which provides considerable resilience to the effects of heat generation in the core, and facilitates efficient conversion from relatively low-brightness diode pump radiation to high-brightness laser output. In this paper we review the current state of the art in terms of continuous-wave and pulsed performance of ytterbium-doped fiber lasers, the current fiber gain medium of choice, and by far the most developed in terms of high-power performance. We then review the current status and challenges of extending the technology to other rare-earth dopants and associated wavelengths of operation. Throughout we identify the key factors currently limiting fiber laser performance in different operating regimes-in particular thermal management, optical nonlinearity, and damage. Finally, we speculate as to the likely developments in pump laser technology, fiber design and fabrication, architectural approaches, and functionality that lie ahead in the coming decade and the implications they have on fiber laser performance and industrial/scientific adoption. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America