Gain-switched Dy3+:ZBLAN fiber laser operating around 3 μm

Abstract

A gain-switched Dy3+-doped ZBLAN fiber laser operating at 2.943 μm is experimentally reported for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The laser was pumped by a 1.1 μm Q-switched ytterbium (III) fiber laser constructed in-house. A stable pulse train is achieved with repetition rates spanning between 25 and 100 kHz. For the repetition rate of 50 kHz, stable 183 ns pulses with an energy of 0.72 μJ and peak power of 4 W are recorded. By using a longer length of Dy3+-doped ZBLAN fiber, gain-switched operation was achieved at a wavelength larger than 3 μm.