Improve the method for high power pump pumped erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifier transformation efficiency
Technical field
The present invention relates to optical-fiber laser field, light signal amplification, the inhibition of the spontaneous radiation ASE that optical signal amplifying is big-and-middle.Specifically, the present invention relates to the inhibition of amplified spont-aneous emission ASE among the high power pump EYDFA and the method for raising pumping transformation efficiency, promptly improve the method for high power pumped erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifier transformation efficiency.
Technical background
Since human eye at the damage threshold of 1.55 mu m wavebands than high 4 orders of magnitude of 1.06 mu m wavebands, therefore the laser of this wave band has the advantage of " eye-safe " relatively, has important use to be worth in the field that laser radar, laser ranging, medical treatment, industrial processes and scientific research etc. need personnel to participate in.In order to keep beam quality preferably when obtaining high power laser light output, high-capacity optical fiber laser adopts master oscillator+power amplifier structure usually.Produce good beam quality but the lower seed light of power by master oscillator, send into power amplifier then and improve laser output power.Obviously, the performance of power amplifier has decisive action to the performance of whole laser system.The operation wavelength of EYDFA is positioned at 1.55 mu m wavebands.The concentration quenching effect that has reduced erbium (Er) ion effectively of mixing owing to ytterbium (Yb) ion in its gain media-erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber, but make the doping content of Er ion improve greatly, so the erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) that generally adopts in EYDFA and the optical fiber communication is compared advantage such as have the pump absorption coefficient height, the pumping wavelength range of choice is big.Therefore, generally adopt erbium ytterbium co doped double clad fiber as gain media in the high-power fiber amplifier of present 1.55 mu m wavebands.
The factor of restriction high power pump output power for fibre amplifier level has a plurality of, for example ASE, nonlinear effect, power damage etc., but numerous theory and experimental studies shows at present, the principal element that restriction EYDFA power output improves is Yb wave band (the Yb wave band ASE that 1000~1100nm) ASE, especially pumping are reverse.In EYDFA, the Yb ionic absorption pump photon of ground state, to last energy level, the ground state Er ion around by the interionic cross relaxation of Yb-Er energy delivery being given is then gone up simultaneously the ground state that the Yb ion of energy level falls after rise because of degradedness from ground state transition.When pump power was low, the population of energy level was very low on the Yb ion, so Yb wave band ASE is very weak.But under high power pump, when the speed of Yb-Er interionic energy exchange was lower than pumping rate, so-called " bottleneck " effect will appear in the interionic energy exchange of Yb-Er.The appearance of " bottleneck " effect, show the part counter-rotating that has occurred Yb ion population in the gain media, and reflecting level improves with the raising of pump power, Yb wave band ASE makes pump power reduce to the transformation efficiency of Er wave band (1500-1650nm) signal because of the raising of gain increases rapidly.Pump power is high more, and it is serious more that the pumping transformation efficiency descends, and the power of final Yb wave band ASE even can surpass the power that amplifies back Er band signal greatly reduce the performance of amplifier.
The method of Yb wave band ASE, raising pumping transformation efficiency is to adopt the more gain fibre of imperial palace cladding diameter among the inhibition EYDFA that generally adopts in the industry at present, but this method has many shortcomings: at first, increasing the inner cladding diameter can increase the supplementary load loss of gain fibre, and this often can offset and suppress the efficient raising that ASE brought; Secondly, the increase of inner cladding diameter has reduced fibre core-covering area ratio, and this has been equivalent to reduce the pump absorption coefficient of gain fibre, and this disagrees as the original intention of gain fibre with adopting erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber; In addition, the increase of inner cladding diameter neither be unconfined, and the increase of inner cladding diameter can increase the bending loss of optical fiber, in addition make optical fiber become " optical wand " at all can't be crooked, this has just lost the advantage of the common relatively solid state laser of fiber amplifier.
Summary of the invention
For overcoming the deficiencies in the prior art, the objective of the invention is to suppress Yb wave band ASE among the high power pump EYDFA, improve the pumping transformation efficiency of amplifier.
The technical solution used in the present invention is: improve the method for high power pump pumped erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifier transformation efficiency, realize by means of following array apparatus:
Comprise: erbium band signal input, isolator, gain fibre, pumping-signal coupled system, ytterbium band signal source, pumping source, output, erbium band signal input connects isolator, and the output of pumping source enters gain fibre through pumping-signal coupled system;
During backward pump work, the output of isolator is connected with gain fibre, and the signal after the amplification is exported from output through pumping-signal coupled system;
Perhaps, during forward direction pumping work, the output of isolator, pumping-signal coupled system, gain fibre are connected successively, and the signal after the amplification is from the output output of gain fibre;
Ytterbium band signal source is connected to aforementioned pumping-signal coupled system, promptly introduces the ytterbium band signal at aforementioned pumping-signal coupled system.
Mode by the selectivity feedback is introduced the ytterbium band signal at the pumping end, by the ASE that is excited to amplify ytterbium wave band under the inhibition high power pump of ytterbium band signal.
Increase gain fibre length, the ytterbium band signal of introducing is absorbed fully.
The ytterbium band signal should be coupled into the fibre core of gain fibre as far as possible, and the gain fibre length that generally can extend after introducing, and its optimum length can be determined by numerical simulation.
The space optical coupling system that pumping-signal coupled system selects optical fiber pyrometric cone coupler or lens to form according to actual conditions, for preventing end face reflection pair amplifier Effect on Performance, the output of amplifier should be taked quarantine measures, and quarantine measures comprise wears into certain angle with the output optical fibre end face.
The present invention has following technique effect: the present invention is after the Yb band signal of adding suitable wavelength, this signal can absorb originally the portion of energy that will slattern with the ASE form under high power pump, it is taken back the pumping direction again, and through subsequent gain optical fiber absorb the pumping effect play Er wave band useful signal again, improved EYDFA pumping transformation efficiency under the high power pump after introducing the Yb band signal.
Description of drawings
Fig. 1 is the application schematic diagram of the present invention in forward direction pumping EYDFA.
Fig. 2 is the application schematic diagram of the present invention in backward pump EYDFA.
Fig. 3 simulates pumping among the EYDFA that obtains, signal power evolution curve and forward and backward Yb wave band ASE spectrogram.
Fig. 4 be pumping wavelength not simultaneously, use of the variation of the forward and backward EYDFA power output of the present invention with pump power.
Fig. 5 uses ASE among the forward and backward EYDFA of the present invention, pumping transformation efficiency, the slope efficiency variation with pump power.
Among Fig. 1,2:
1.Er the band signal input, 2. isolator, 3.Yb band signal source, 4. pumping source, 5. pumping/signal coupled system, 6. gain fibre (Er-Yb co-doped double-clad fiber), 7. output.
Embodiment
In order to suppress Yb wave band ASE among the high power pump EYDFA, improve the pumping transformation efficiency of amplifier, the present invention proposes a kind of effective method.
The present invention mainly realizes by means of isolator, gain fibre, pumping-signal coupled system, Yb band signal source, pumping source.The present invention solves the scheme that its technical problem adopts: under (1) high power pump, the principal element that influences EYDFA pumping transformation efficiency is the reverse Yb wave band ASE of pumping, according to these characteristics, the present invention is by introducing the Yb band signal of a suitable wavelength at the pumping end, amplify by this signal being excited in gain fibre, realized suppressing the purpose of Yb wave band ASE; (2) gain of Yb wave band mainly concentrates on the pumping end, because the Yb band signal is transmitted in the fibre core of gain fibre, if it is suitable that wavelength is selected, gain fibre has bigger absorption coefficient (absorption coefficient than the pumping of injecting is big usually) to it from covering, after so this signal is exaggerated, along with the fading away of " bottleneck " effect, this signal can be reuptaked gradually by gain fibre after leaving pumping end certain distance.If it is suitable that gain fibre length is selected, this signal can be absorbed fully, has played the pumping effect to Er wave band useful signal, thereby can improve the pumping transformation efficiency of EYDFA effectively; (3) signal source that the Yb band signal can be by adding suitable wavelength or introduce gain fibre at the narrowband reflection device (as Fiber Bragg Grating FBG) that the pumping end of gain fibre adds suitable wavelength, the latter realizes for the mode by the selectivity feedback; (4) wavelength of Yb band signal can be determined according to the peak wavelength of the Yb wave band ASE of EYDFA pumping end output before the interpolation Yb band signal; (5) gain fibre length can extend usually to some extent after the interpolation Yb band signal, and optimum length can be determined by numerical simulation.
The present invention is further described below in conjunction with drawings and Examples.
At first, according to design object, record the spectrum of EYDFA pumping end Yb wave band ASE by numerical simulation or experiment, find its peak wavelength, the wavelength of Yb band signal should be chosen near this peak wavelength or its.Shown in Fig. 3 (a), the amplifier Yb wave band ASE spectrum that emulation obtains during for the pumping of 975nm forward direction, design pump power 300W, as can be seen from the figure, the peak wavelength of pumping end Yb wave band ASE spectrum is about 1040nm, so the wavelength of Yb band signal can be selected 1040nm.
Secondly, by the optimum fiber length after the definite interpolation of the numerical simulation Yb band signal.Shown in Fig. 3 (b), the 1040nm signal is almost completely absorbed required fiber lengths and is about 15m.
Then, build the EYDFA system according to above-mentioned design parameter according to Fig. 1 or Fig. 2.For making implementation result the best of the present invention, the signal of Yb wave band should be coupled among the fibre core rather than inner cladding of gain fibre as far as possible.Pumping-signal coupled system can be selected the space optical coupling system of optical fiber pyrometric cone coupler or lens composition according to actual conditions.For preventing end face reflection pair amplifier Effect on Performance, the output of amplifier should be taked quarantine measures, such as the output optical fibre end face is worn into certain angle.
Fig. 4 be pumping wavelength not simultaneously, use of the variation of the forward and backward EYDFA power output of the present invention with pump power.(Fig. 4 uses the change curve of the forward and backward output signal power of the present invention with pump power a) and under two kinds of EYDFA general service pump pumping wavelengths of 975nm (Fig. 4 b) situation to have provided 915nm among the figure respectively.Under the design pump power 300W situation, during no 1040nm signal, the optimum fiber length of 915nm and 975nm correspondence is respectively 12m and 5m, and the latter two optimum fiber length of interpolation 1040nm signal all is about 15m.By contrast as can be seen, under the high power pump situation, adopt behind the present invention that the power output of EYDFA all is significantly improved under identical pump power.For example, under the forward and backward pumping situation, when design pump power 300W, adopt behind the present invention the power output of EYDFA to bring up to 109.3W and 118.7W by original 90.9W and 101.1W respectively under the 915nm pumping situation, improved 20.2% and 17.4% respectively; And under 975nm 300W pumping situation, the power output of EYDFA has been brought up to 109.3W and 122.3W respectively from original 58.7W and 71.3W respectively when adopting forward and backward pumping behind the present invention, has improved 86% and 71.5% respectively.
Shown in Figure 5 is to use the variation with pump power of ASE power among the forward and backward EYDFA of the present invention, pumping transformation efficiency (PCE), slope efficiency.Pumping wavelength is 976nm, and pump mode is the forward direction pumping.From Fig. 3 (a) as can be seen, after adopting the present invention, though pumping in the same way ASE power strengthen to some extent because the reverse ASE power of pumping obviously descends, so significant decline has appearred in total ASE power, this explanation the present invention is effective to suppressing Yb wave band ASE.From Fig. 3 (b) as can be seen, behind employing the present invention, the pumping transformation efficiency and the slope efficiency of amplifier all is significantly improved under high power pump.For example at design pump power 300W place, the pumping transformation efficiency of amplifier has brought up to 36.0% by original 19.2%.
In summary it can be seen that the present invention improves its pumping transformation efficiency to the ASE among the inhibition high power pump EYDFA and has a significant effect.Simultaneously, this method has been avoided many shortcomings of prior art, can implement in based on the EYDFA of common high pumping absorption coefficient erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber as gain media.The present invention is applicable to that high power pump continuously or the raising of pulse EYDFA pumping transformation efficiency.