High energy pulsed fiber laser transmitters in the C- and L-band for coherent lidar applications

Abstract

We report a monolithic specialized high stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold fiber laser/amplifier in the C and L band based on highly co-doped phosphate glass fibers. This represents an important new development for coherent LIDAR and remote sensing applications. By using single mode polarization-maintaining large core highly Er/Yb codoped phosphate fibers in the power amplifier stages, we have achieved the highest peak power of 2.02 kW at 1530 nm for 105 ns pulses with transform-limited linewidth, and with a corresponding pulse energy of about 0.212 mJ. The achieved high-energy pulses were frequency doubled by using a commercial periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal, and the highest SHG peak power of 271 W has been achieved for the SHG pulses at 765 nm that can be used for oxygen coherent remote sensing. In the L band, more than 80 μJ fiber laser pulses at 1572 nm with 1-2 μs pulse width and transform-limited linewidth have been achieved by using a monolithic fiber laser system in MOPA configuration, which can be used for CO2 coherent remote sensing.