Single-Mode, 980 nm Pump Lasers for Fiber Amplifiers

Abstract

Pump lasers for Er3+-doped silica fiber optical amplifiers must demonstrate excellent spatial mode stability to high output power levels in order to achieve useful gain.1,2 The pump band at 980 nm is the most efficient of the principle Er3+ absorption bands in terms of gain per input optical power.3 Pumping at 980 nm is also preferred in comparison to pumping at 1480 nm because it reduces the noise introduced into the amplified optical signal.4