D. L. Veasey

Passively Q-switched Nd-doped waveguide laser.

A passively Q-switched waveguide laser operating at 1.054 μm has been demonstrated in a Nd-doped phosphate glass. The channel waveguide was fabricated by K-ion exchange from a nitrate melt. Passively Q-switched pulses were achieved by placement of an acetate sheet containing an organic saturable-absorbing dye within the laser cavity. The resulting pulse train consisted of pulses with a FWHM of ~25 ns and peak powers of 3.04 W. With an 80% transmitting output coupler, cw operation of the laser provided 5.2 mW of output power at 1.054 μm for 229 mW of absorbed 794-nm pump power.

Erbium/ytterbium-codoped glass waveguide laser producing 170 mW of output power at 1540 nm

This paper describes the fabrication and performance of an ion-exchanged, channel waveguide laser in erbium/ytterbium-codoped phosphate glass, which has produced 170 mW of cw power near 1540 nm.

Ion-exchanged Er3+/Yb3+ glass waveguide lasers in silicate glasses

Waveguide lasers and amplifiers in glasses codoped with Er3+ and Yb3+ are promising candidates for compact multifunctional devices operating near 1.5 μm.

Arrayed DBR waveguide lasers for the ITU grid

We have successfully demonstrated an array of monolithic, single-frequency DBR waveguide lasers that operate near 1536 nm. Single transverse mode waveguides in the 1500 nn telecommunications band were fabricated in a commercially available phosphate glass that was codoped with 1/spl times/10/sup 20/ Er/sup 3+/ ions/cm/sup 3/ and 4/spl times/10/sup 20/ Yb/sup 3+/ ions/cm/sup 3/. Phosphate glass is a very good host compared to silica for erbium ions since the sensitization efficiency is nearly unity and large doping concentrations are possible before the onset of concentration quenching. We have performed waveguide laser simulations correlated to experimental results that indicate the Yb-Er energy transfer efficiency is greater than 95% in this glass. Waveguides are formed by potassium for sodium thermal ion-exchange. We have also used a field assisted process to form waveguides in codoped phosphate glass. Tests of thermal ion exchanged Fabry-Perot lasers without DBR gratings have shown that slope efficiencies of 28% are possible with thresholds as low as 25 mW of coupled 980 nm pump power, Similar results have been achieved using field assisted ion exchanged waveguides. We have also shown these lasers can be tuned from 1525 to 1595 nm.