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

光纤激光器正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（即镱、铒、铥和钬）掺杂光纤的发展，每种光纤都具有为特定应用量身定制的一套独特性能。由于光纤的设计和纤芯的材料性能对激光器的性能起着至关重要的作用，因此需要一种比目前工业标准工艺更强大的光纤制造工艺，即MCVD（改性化学气相沉积）-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，利用气相沉积的活性掺杂剂与MCVD工艺相结合，实现先进的稀土掺杂光纤，具有定制的掺杂剂轮廓和大芯，这是下一代高功率光纤激光器和放大器所需要的。该项目将与位于南安普顿的一家领先的特种光纤制造商密切合作。

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.