Pulsed laser sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9401579-B2
Application number	US-201314090374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2013
Priority date	Jul 25, 2003
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

Modelocked fiber laser resonators may be coupled with optical amplifiers. An isolator optionally may separate the resonator from the amplifier. A reflective optical element on one end of the resonator having a relatively low reflectivity may be employed to couple light from the resonator to the amplifier. Enhanced pulse-width control may be provided with concatenated sections of both polarization-maintaining and non-polarization-maintaining fibers. Apodized fiber Bragg gratings and integrated fiber polarizers may also be included in the laser cavity to assist in linearly polarizing the output of the cavity. Very short pulses with a large optical bandwidth may be obtained by matching the dispersion value of the grating to the inverse of the dispersion of the intra-cavity fiber. Frequency comb sources may be constructed from such modelocked fiber oscillators. Low dispersion and an in-line interferometer that provides feedback may assist in controlling the frequency components output from the comb source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber based frequency comb source for generating a frequency comb, said fiber based frequency comb source comprising:
a mode locked fiber oscillator comprising at least one cavity element based on polarization maintaining fiber;
at least one fiber amplifier; and
at least one highly nonlinear fiber optically connected to said mode locked fiber oscillator, said at least one highly nonlinear fiber configured to generate a coherent supercontinuum used to stabilize a carrier envelope offset frequency related to said frequency comb.

2. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said mode locked fiber oscillator comprising at least one Faraday rotator.

3. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said at least one fiber amplifier being polarization maintaining.

4. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said at least one highly nonlinear fiber being polarization maintaining.

5. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said mode locked fiber oscillator producing an output with an environmentally stable polarization output state.

6. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said at least one fiber amplifier configured to be nonlinear.

7. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said at least one fiber amplifier configured to spectrally broaden a spectrum of said mode locked fiber oscillator.

8. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , said mode locked fiber oscillator comprising a saturable absorber.

9. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , further comprising a one-arm f-2f interferometer.

10. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a bi-directional optical path between said mode locked fiber oscillator and said at least one fiber amplifier, arranged such that light from said mode locked fiber oscillator can propagate to said at least one fiber amplifier and light from said at least one fiber amplifier can propagate to said mode locked fiber oscillator,
wherein at least one of said mode locked fiber oscillator or said at least one fiber amplifier comprises a polarization maintaining component.

11. A fiber based frequency comb source for generating a frequency comb, said fiber frequency comb source comprising:
a mode locked fiber oscillator configured to produce an oscillator output with an environmentally stable polarization oscillator output state;
a nonlinear fiber amplifier configured to accept an input with an environmentally stable polarization state and produce an amplifier output with an environmentally stable polarization amplifier output state, said nonlinear fiber amplifier configured to broaden a spectrum of said mode locked fiber oscillator;
a compressor configured to produce pulses having pulse widths shorter than approximately 200 fs; and
a polarization maintaining highly nonlinear fiber disposed downstream from said compressor,
wherein said polarization maintaining highly nonlinear fiber is configured to generate a coherent supercontinuum, and wherein compressed pulses having said pulse widths preserve the coherence of said supercontinuum.

12. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 11 , said coherent supercontinuum used to stabilize a carrier envelope offset frequency related to said frequency comb.

13. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 11 , said mode locked fiber oscillator comprising a saturable absorber.

14. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 11 , further comprising a one-arm f-2f interferometer.

15. The fiber frequency comb source according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a bi-directional optical path between said mode locked fiber oscillator and said nonlinear fiber amplifier, arranged such that light from said mode locked fiber oscillator can propagate to said nonlinear fiber amplifier and light from said nonlinear fiber amplifier can propagate to said mode locked fiber oscillator,
wherein at least one of said mode locked fiber oscillator or said nonlinear fiber amplifier comprises a polarization maintaining component.

16. A fiber based frequency comb source for generating a frequency comb, said fiber based frequency comb source comprising:
a mode locked fiber laser;
a cladding pumped fiber amplifier;
a highly nonlinear fiber configured to generate a supercontinuum; and
a bi-directional optical path between said mode locked fiber laser and said cladding pumped fiber amplifier arranged such that light from said mode locked fiber laser can propagate to said cladding pumped fiber amplifier and light from said cladding pumped fiber amplifier can propagate to said mode locked fiber laser,
wherein at least one of said mode locked fiber laser or said cladding pumped fiber amplifier comprises a polarization maintaining component.

17. The fiber frequency comb source according to claim 16 , said highly nonlinear fiber being polarization maintaining.

18. The fiber frequency comb source according to claim 16 , said highly nonlinear fiber configured to generate a coherent supercontinuum.

19. The fiber frequency comb source according to claim 18 , wherein said coherent supercontinuum is used to measure a carrier envelope offset frequency related to said frequency comb.

20. The fiber based frequency comb source according to claim 16 , said modelocked fiber laser comprising a saturable absorber.

21. The fiber frequency comb source according to claim 16 , further comprising a one-arm f-2f interferometer.

Assignees

• Imra America Inc

Inventors

• Fermann Martin E
• Hartl Ingmar
• Imeshev Gennady

Classifications

• H01S3/1067

  using pressure or deformation · CPC title

• H01S3/10 Primary

  Controlling the intensity, frequency, phase, polarisation or direction of the emitted radiation, e.g. switching, gating, modulating or demodulating · CPC title

• H01S3/094042

  of a fibre laser · CPC title

• H01S3/067

  Fibre lasers · CPC title

• H01S3/1053

  Control by pressure or deformation · CPC title