A wavelength-tunable fiber laser using a novel filter based on a compound interference effect

A wavelength-tunable erbium-doped fiber laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated by using a novel filter which is formed from a 2 x 2 3 dB multimode coupler incorporating a segment of polarization maintaining fiber (PMF). By using the filter with 2.1 m lengths of PMF in a ring fiber laser, a stable single wavelength lasing is obtained experimentally. Its 3 dB bandwidth is less than 0.0147 nm and the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) is higher than 58.91 dB. Experimental results demonstrate that mode competition can be effectively suppressed and the SMSR can be improved due to the compound interference effect aroused by the novel filter. Meanwhile the stability of the output lasing can be enhanced. By appropriately adjusting the polarization controllers (PCs), the output lasing wavelength can be tuned from 1563.51 to 1568.21 nm. This fiber laser has the advantage of a simple structure and stable operation at room temperature.