Sequence lasing in a gain-switched Yb3+, Er3+-doped silica double-clad fiber laser

Experimental results relating to the gain-switched operation of a double-clad Yb3+Er3+-doped silica fiber laser that is pulse pumped with the output from a flash-lamp-pumped Ti:sapphire laser are presented. For all the configurations of the fiber laser that we studied, the F-2(5/2) --> F-2(7/2) laser transition of the Yb3+ ion lased prior to laser emission from the I-4(13/2) --> I-4(15/2) transition of the Er3+ ion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported operation of sequence lasing in the Yb3+,Er3+-codoped system. This succession of laser pulses deduced from the measurements of this investigation is a consequence of both the short intense pump pulse and the short 900-nm wavelength of the pump that does not overlap with any important excited-state absorption transitions. We believe that the predominant interionic interaction during the course of the pump pulse is the double-energy transfer to the Er3(+) ion acting twice from the F-2(5/2) energy level of the Yb3+ donor ion. A maximum total output of 1.65 mJ is obtained (1.38 mJ from the F-2(5/2) --> F-2(7/2) transition of Yb3+ and 0.27 mJ from the I-4(13/2) --> I-4(15/2) transition of Er3+) from a nonoptimized configuration of the fiber laser. The wavelength of the output from the fiber laser was measured to vary approximately linearly with fiber length from 1040 to 1046 nm for the Yb3+-based laser and 1535 to 1541 nm for the Er3+-based laser. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.