Development of advanced rare-earth doped optical fibres for high-power laser applications

光纤激光器日益成为广泛的工业和科学应用的首选光源，推动了新型稀土(即Yb、Er、Tm和Ho)掺杂光纤的发展，每种光纤都具有为特定应用量身定做的一组独特的特性。由于光纤设计和纤芯的材料特性对激光器性能起着至关重要的作用，因此除了当前的行业标准工艺外，还需要一种更强大的光纤制造工艺，称为改进的化学气相沉积(MCVD)溶液掺杂技术。在这个博士项目中，我们将开发新型光纤材料和制造技术，使用气相沉积活性掺杂剂与MCVD工艺相结合，实现新一代高功率光纤激光器和放大器所需的具有定制掺杂剂轮廓和大纤芯的先进稀土掺杂光纤。该项目将与南安普敦一家领先的特种光纤制造商--工业合作伙伴密切合作。

Fibre lasers that are increasingly becoming the preferred light source for a wide range of industrial and scientific applications, have driven the development of new types of rare-earth (i.e., Yb, Er, Tm, and Ho) doped fibres, each with a unique set of properties tailored for specific applications. As the fibre design and material properties of the fibre core play a critical role in laser performance, a more powerful fibre fabrication process is required beyond the current industry standard process, known as MCVD (Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition) - solution doping technique.In this PhD project, we will develop novel optical fibre materials and fabrication techniques using gas phase deposition of active dopants in conjunction with the MCVD process for the realisation of advanced rare-earth doped fibres with tailored dopant profiles and large core, as required for the next generation of high power fibre lasers and amplifiers. This project will be conducted in close collaboration with an industrial partner, a leading manufacturer of specialty optical fibres based in Southampton.