Stable passively Q-switched and gain-switched Yb-doped all-fiber laser based on a dual-cavity with fiber Bragg gratings

We demonstrate a stable passively Q-switched and gain-switched Yb-doped all-fiber laser cladding-pumped by a continuous fiber-coupled 976 nm laser diode. By use of an all-fiber dual-cavity, the efficient elements of the laser mainly include the fiber Bragg gratings and rare-earth doped fiber, allowing the oscillator to be integrated in a compact size with reliable and stable output. In this scheme, an efficient laser output with 45 ns pulse width, 62 mu J pulse energy, and 1.4 kW peak power operating at 1081 nm was obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the minimum pulse width in this similar kind of all-fiber configuration at present. Sequential nanosecond pulses were obtained at the repetition rate of several to tens of kHz with the variation of the diode pumping power. Effects of laser parameters such as pump power, cavity length, external-cavity wavelength, and FBG reflectivity on laser performance were also presented and discussed. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America