A novel 2-μm pulsed fiber laser based on a supercontinuum source and its application to mid-infrared supercontinuum generation

A new method to achieve 2-μm pulsed fiber lasers based on a supercontinuum （SC） is demonstrated. The incident pump light is a pulsed SC which contains a pump light and a signal light at the same time. The initial signal of the seed laser is provided by the incident pump light and amplified in the cavity. Based on this, we obtain a 2-μm pulsed laser with pulse repetition rate of 50 kHz and pulse width of 2 ns from the Tm-doped fiber laser. This 2-μm pulsed laser is amplified by two stages of fiber amplifiers, then the amplified laser is used for mid-infrared （mid-IR） SC generation in a 10-m length of ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AIF3-NaF （ZBLAN） fiber. An all-fiber-integrated mid-IR SC with spectrum ranging from 1.8 ~tm to 4.3 μm is achieved. The maximal average output power of the mid-IR SC from the ZBLAN fiber is 1.24 W （average output power beyond 2.5 μm is 340 mW）, corresponding to an output efficiency of 6.6% with respect to the 790-nm pump power.

Development of a Broadly Tunable Mid-Infrared Laser Source for Highly Sensitive Multiple Trace Gas Detection

A room-temperature broadly tunable mid-infrared difference frequency laser source for highly sensitive trace gas detection has been developed recently in our laboratory. The mid-infrared laser system is based on quasi-phase-matched （QPM） difference frequency generation （DFG） in a multigrating, temperature-controlled periodically poled LiNbO3 （PPLN） crystal and employs two near-infrared diode lasers as pump sources. The mid-infrared coherent radiation generated is tunable from 3.2 μm to 3.7μm with an output power of about 100 μW. By changing one of the pump laser head with another wavelength range, we can readily obtain other needed mid-infrared wavelength range cover. The performance of the mid-infrared laser system and its application to highly sensitive spectroscopic detection of CH4, HCl, CH2O, and NO2 has been carried out. A multi-reflection White cell was used in the experiment gaining ppb-level sensitivity. The DFG laser system has the features of compact, room-temperature operation, narrow line-width, and broadly continuous tunable range for potential applications in industry and environmental monitoring.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation and its application on all-optical quantization with different input pulses

Supercontinuum generation(SCG) and its application on all-optical quantization of all-optical analog-to-digital conversions(AOADCs) at the mid-infrared region in an Al GaAs strip waveguide are investigated numerically. The simulation results show that when the parabolic pulse is input, not only broader and higher-coherence SCG is obtained and a higher effective number of bits(ENOB) can be achieved, compared with the input pulse with hyperbolic-secant and Gaussian shaping. A four-bit quantization resolution is achieved along with a signal-to-noise ratio of 24.02 dB and an ENOB of3.99 bit, and the required input peak power is 760 mW.

Generation of a mid-infrared broadband polarized supercontinuum in As_2Se_3 photonic crystal fibers

A simplified structure of birefringent chalcogenide As 2 Se 3 photonic crystal fiber（PCF） is designed.Properties of birefringence,polarization extinction ratio,chromatic dispersion,nonlinear coefficient,and transmission are studied by using the multipole method,the finite-difference beam propagation method,and the adaptive split-step Fourier method.Considering that the zero dispersion wavelength of our proposed fiber is about 4 μm,we have analysed the mechanism of spectral broadening in PCFs with different pitches in detail,with femtosecond pulses at a wavelength of 4 μm as the pump pulses.Especially,mid-infrared broadband polarized supercontinuums are obtained in a 3-cm PCF with an optimal pitch of 2 μm.Their spectral width at 20 dB reaches up to 12 μm.In the birefringent PCF,we find that the supercontinuum generation changes with the pump alignment angle.Research results show that no coupling between eigenpolarization modes are observed at the maximum average power（i.e.,37 mW）,which indicates that the polarization state is well maintained.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum and optical frequency comb generations in a multimode tellurite photonic crystal fiber

We numerically investigate the mid-infrared(MIR)supercontinuum(SC)and SC-based optical frequency comb(OFC)generations when the three optical modes(LP_(01),LP_(02),and LP_(12))are considered in a multimode tellurite photonic crystal fiber(MM-TPCF).The geometrical parameters of the MM-TPCF are optimized to support the multimode propagation and obtain the desired dispersion characteristics of the considered three optical modes.When the pump pulse with center wavelengthλ=2.5μm,width T=80 fs,and peak power P=18 kW is coupled into the anomalous dispersion region of the LP_(01),LP_(02),and LP_(12)modes of the MM-TPCF,the-40-dB bandwidth of the generated MIR SCs can be up to 2.56,1.39,and 1.12 octaves,respectively,along with good coherence.Moreover,the nonlinear dynamics of the generated SCs are analyzed.Finally,the MIR SCs-based OFCs are demonstrated when a train of 50 pulses at 1-GHz repetition rate is used as the pump source and launched into the MM-TPCF.

Recent development of flat supercontinuum generation in specialty optical fibers

Supercontinuum (SC) generation has attracted a significant scientific interest in the past decades due to its promising applications covering the fields of metrology, spectroscopy, defense, as well as medical treatments. To date, researchers are devoted to improving the spectral width and flatness of SC generation by using specialty optical fibers. The flatness of the spectrum is of importance because it can improve the accuracy of measurement in practical applications. This paper summarizes the theory of SC, the state of the art of flat SC generation using optical fiber including photonic crystal fibers, soft glass fibers as well as germania-doped fibers, and suggests the future research direction of flat SC light source.

Scaling all-fiber mid-infrared supercontinuum up to 10 W-level based on thermal-spliced silica fiber and ZBLAN fiber

We demonstrate an integrated all-fiber mid-infrared(mid-IR)supercontinuum(SC)source generated by a 1.95μm master oscillator power amplifier system and a single-mode ZBLAN(ZrF_4–BaF_2–LaF_3–AlF_3–NaF)fiber.The maximum average output power is 10.67 W with spectral bandwidth covering from～1.9 to 4.1μm.The single-mode ZBLAN fiber and silica fiber are thermal-spliced to enhance the robustness and practicability of the system.It is,to the best of our knowledge,the first high-power integrated compacted all-fiber mid-IR SC source based on thermal-spliced silica fiber and ZBLAN fiber.

Chip-scale broadband spectroscopic chemical sensing using an integrated supercontinuum source in a chalcogenide glass waveguide

On-chip spectroscopic sensors have attracted increasing attention for portable and field-deployable chemical detection applications. So far, these sensors largely rely on benchtop tunable lasers for spectroscopic interrogation. Large footprint and mechanical fragility of the sources, however, preclude compact sensing system integration. In this paper, we address the challenge through demonstrating, for the first time to our knowledge, a supercontinuum source integrated on-chip spectroscopic sensor, where we leverage nonlinear Ge_(22)Sb_(18)Se_(60) chalcogenide glass waveguides as a unified platform for both broadband supercontinuum generation and chemical detection. A home-built, palm-sized femtosecond laser centering at 1560 nm wavelength was used as the pumping source. Sensing capability of the system was validated through quantifying the optical absorption of chloroform solutions at 1695 nm. This work represents an important step towards realizing a miniaturized spectroscopic sensing system based on photonic chips.

基于不同宽带非相干光源的甲烷浓度测量研究

目的:研究非相干宽带腔增强吸收光谱(IBBCEAS)技术中所应用的不同类型宽带光源的性能差异对系统输出信号的影响。方法:搭建了直径2.54 cm,长30 cm的气池,通入体积分数为99.99%的甲烷气体,分别采用非相干宽带卤素光源和超连续谱光源入射气池,通过光纤准直器耦合出射光进入近红外多模光纤,光纤接入近红外光谱仪测量吸收光谱。结果:两种光源的光学密度谱线对比显示超连续谱光源的光学噪声远大于卤素光源,其主要原因为超连续谱光源内部温度控制欠稳定导致输出功率在频域上出现较大波动造成的基线偏移。结论:相较于卤素光源,超连续谱光源具有光功率高,空间相干性好等诸多优点,但由于温度控制原因所导致的光功率输出不够稳定,导致该光源在IBBCEAS系统中的应用受到一定限制。

Supercontinuum Lightwave Sources for Photonic Networks

WDM optical sources based on supercontinuum (SC) generation are reviewed. The design of an SC lightwave source is described that uses a scaling rule among the parameters in an SC generating fiber and a seed optical pulse. Finally, recent efforts to apply SC lightwave source to optical network systems are mentioned.

超高分辨光学相干层析成像技术与材料检测应用

本文报道了一种超高分辨率谱域光学相干层析成像(SD-OCT)系统.该系统基于超连续谱激光光源并截取部分光谱作为宽带光源,其中心波长为665 nm,光谱半高全宽(FWHM)230 nm.系统轴向分辨率0.9μm,轴向扫描速率28600行/秒,横向分辨率3.9μm,横向视场1 mm,最大成像深度0.6 mm(空气中).利用研制的超高分辨率SD-OCT系统,对不同型号的工业砂纸精细结构进行了成像,并与普通SD-OCT的成像结果进行对比,充分展示了研制系统在材料无损检测中优势.

光纤中超连续谱的产生及多波长输出

为了产生高重复频率的多波长短光脉冲,利用锁模掺铒光纤激光器作为抽运光源,对色散位移光纤中的脉冲光谱展宽进行了实验研究,成功地实现了45nm超连续谱的产生,并滤波得到了多波长输出。实验还发现,光纤激光器的输出脉冲的稳定不够和功率不高是制约这个实验结果的主要因素。

利用超连续谱激光实现自由空间光通信

超连续谱光源具有丰富的带宽,是信号载体的优秀候选者。设计并搭建了利用超连续谱光源的空间无线光通信系统,讨论了超连续谱产生的条件以及输出光斑直径不同位置下的光谱。采用了电光调制方式对超连续谱光源进行调制,通过比较输入与输出的数字方波信号证明了电光调制进行超连续谱空间光通信的可行性。成功利用该系统演示了对原始图像信号的采集和显示,最后通过对接收端信号的整形放大恢复出了原始信号,实现了图像信号在4 m范围内的传输。实验结果表明:将超连续谱作为光信号载体,在空间大气信道条件下可以实现对图像信号进行无线传输。

光子晶体光纤研究与应用

光子晶体光纤是由光子晶体的概念发展而来的一类多孔微结构光纤,是近20年来新型光纤研究的热点。由于具有独特的结构和光学特性,光子晶体光纤在非通讯领域的应用受到广泛关注。对光子晶体光纤的分类、导光机制、制备工艺、光纤特性和研究进展作了综述,介绍了光子晶体光纤在超连续谱光源、光纤激光器、光纤传感器等方面的应用。

一种基于非线性展宽的宽带光源设计

采用光子晶体光纤(PCF)设计了一款宽带光源,该光源通过非线性效应将超短脉冲激光展宽为宽带输出。通过分析不同脉宽的激光器泵浦光子晶体光纤产生的光谱情况,设计了超短脉冲种子源和高功率光放大模块,并提出了光纤模场的匹配处理。

波分复用多波长激光器的研究

综述了波分复用(WDM)系统的关键器件之一——多波长激光器,着重对现阶段WDM各种多波长光源的原理及发展状况进行了介绍,并分析了各种多波长光源方案的优缺点。通过分析比较发现,基于超连续谱的多波长光纤激光器无论在性能、复杂度和与光纤通信系统接入方面都有着无可比拟的优势,在WDM系统中有着良好的应用前景。

光纤中超连续脉冲的频谱展宽

为了产生高重复频率的多波长短光脉冲,利用锁模掺铒光纤激光器作为抽运光源,对色散位移光纤中的超连续脉冲进行了实验研究,成功实现了输出脉冲的频谱展宽。实验也发现,制约这个实验结果的主要因素是光纤激光器的输出脉冲的稳定性不够和功率不高。

高相干度中红外超连续谱光源的研究

选用全波段正常色散As_2S_3光子晶体光纤作为非线性介质来消除反常色散区中孤子分裂引起的调制不稳定性所造成的超连续谱相干特性的恶化问题.利用分步傅里叶法数值模拟超短激光脉冲在全波段正常色散As_2S_3光子晶体光纤中的非线性传输和中红外超连续谱的产生.分析脉宽、传输距离、入射峰值功率和初始啁啾对中红外超连续谱光源的带宽、相干特性和平坦度的影响.通过优化泵浦激光参数和光纤参量,在最佳负啁啾C_p=-4、脉宽为50 fs、中心波长为2 800 nm、入射峰值功率为100 W和光纤长度为20 cm时,获得3 dB带宽高达2 484 nm的中红外超连续谱,且具有良好相干度和平坦度.

基于碲酸盐微结构光纤的超连续光源

采用自制的碲酸盐微结构光纤作为非线性介质,利用实验室自己搭建的1 560 nm飞秒光纤激光器作为泵浦源,研究了泵浦功率、光纤长度、非线性系数和群速度色散对超连续谱展宽的影响,并通过优化碲酸盐微结构光纤的结构获得了覆盖1 300~2 200 nm的全光纤超连续光源。

超连续谱光源对CMOS图像传感器的干扰实验研究

首先介绍了CMOS图像传感器工作的基本原理。以自研的超连续谱光源为干扰源搭建了实验装置,对CMOS器件在强光下的受干扰现象进行了实验研究。获得了不同功率密度水平下CMOS器件输出的光斑饱和图像。以入射到CMOS器件靶面的功率密度3.14×10-3W/cm2为例,对得到的图像数据进行了分析,得到了干扰效果图和像元灰度表,并对产生的原因作出了分析。