Improving laser performance at 1081 nm in Yb3+-doped tellurite glasses with low threshold

Abstract

Yb³⁺-doped glass lasers have promising applications in optical telecommunications, industrial processing, due to their broad or short emission and gain bandwidth, as well as their cost-effective maintenance and compact design. This research reports the laser operation of Yb³⁺-doped tellurite glass emitting at 1081 nm and evaluates its performance under varying pump powers using a continuous-wave diode laser at 976 nm, with a bandwidth of 20 nm. Our findings reveal that the glasses do not exhibit the formation of Yb³⁺ clusters. The laser efficiency increased from 1.7 % to 5.5 % as the concentration of Yb³⁺ ions was raised to 0.9 mol %, although quenching of the emission intensity at higher concentrations. The laser threshold was determined at a pump power of 120 mW, with the glasses showing good thermal stability without damage. These glasses offer new opportunities for applications in optical telecommunications, particularly in Ytterbium-Erbium-doped fibre amplifier systems as a pumping source.