STTR PHASE I: Tunable ZBLAN Fiber Fabry-Perot Filters and Single-Frequency Lasers for 1.3 micron Optical Communication Systems

*** 9632301 Hsu本STTR一期项目将研究和开发基于氟光纤（特别是ZBLAN光纤）的新型光纤法布里-珀罗可调谐滤波器（ffp - tf），并将ffp - tf应用于1.3 um波长区域的高功率、窄线宽、波长可调谐的掺pr ZBLAN光纤激光器。近年来掺镨（Pr）氟化玻璃纤维的重大进展使其成为1.3~1m波长光纤放大器和激光器最理想的介质。用于1.3 μ m波分复用（WDM）的掺pr光纤放大器样机的出现，提高了对1.3~m激光器的需求。市售的宽可调谐激光源通常是基于仅适用于实验室环境的光栅调谐外腔半导体激光器。对1.3微米可调谐激光器的要求是光纤兼容的，坚固的，并且具有成本效益，这使得全光纤可调谐激光器结构成为最佳候选。这些激光器将允许电信系统使用已在世界各地广泛安装的标准1.3~m单模光纤访问额外的100nm频谱。此外，由此产生的工作将使广泛的ZBLAN光纤设备技术发展可以扩展到其他波长区域，例如，可调谐上转换蓝绿色激光器和中红外激光器，使用ZBLAN光纤中的适当掺杂剂。使用这种新型可调谐激光器的其他应用范围从全息数据存储（可调谐蓝绿色激光器）和自由空间光通信到光谱学和环境传感（可调谐中红外激光器）。＊＊＊

*** 9632301 Hsu This Phase I STTR project will research and develop novel fiber Fabry-Perot tunable filters (FFP-TFs) based on fluoride fibers (specifically ZBLAN fibers), and the application of FFP-TFs in the generation of high-power, narrow-linewidth, and wavelength-tunable Pr-doped ZBLAN fiber lasers in the 1.3 um wavelength region. Recent major advances in Praseodymium (Pr)-doped fluoride glass fibers have made them the most desirable medium for fiber amplifiers and lasers at 1.3~1m wavelength. The availability of prototype Pr-doped fiber amplifiers for 1.3 um wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) has heightened the need for 1.3~m lasers. Commercially available widely-tunable laser sources are typically based on grating-tuned external-cavity semiconductor lasers suitable only for laboratory environment. The requirement for 1.3 um tunable lasers that are fiber-compatible, robust, and cost-effective makes an all-fiber based tunable laser structure the best candidate. These lasers will allow telecommunication systems to access an additional 100nm of frequency spectrum using standard 1.3~m single-mode fibers which have been widely installed throughout the world. In addition, the resultant work will enable broad-based ZBLAN fiber device technology development that can be extended to other wavelength regions, e.g., to tunable upconverted blue-green lasers and mid-IR lasers using appropriate dopants in ZBLAN fibers. Additional applications using such new tunable lasers span from holographic data storage (tunable blue-green lasers) and free space optical communication to spectroscopy and environmental sensing (with tunable mid-IR lasers). ***