Hundred-watts-level monolithic narrow linewidth linearly-polarized fiber laser at 1018 nm

We theoretically and experimentally demonstrated an all-fiber, hundred-watts-level, linearly-polarized, narrow spectral linewidth laser amplifier at a central wavelength of 1018 nm based on master oscillator-power amplifier configuration, which is composed of a laser oscillator and one stage of the fiber amplifier. The laser system can generate 104-W output power with 3- and 20-dB spectral linewidth of similar to 0.073 and similar to 0.25 nm, respectively, and a higher polarization extinction ratio of similar to 17.89 dB at 1018.3 nm was obtained. Theoretical analysis based on the rate equations was used to optimize the parameters of 1018-nm ytterbium-doped fiber laser system for the maximum suppression of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). The ASE was well depressed based on the optimization for the parameters of the laser system including the seed power, seed spectrum, gain fiber length in the amplifier, etc. And similar to 27-dB signal-to-noise ratio was achieved at the maximum output power. The slope efficiency for the amplifier stage can reach 79%, and near-diffraction-limited beam quality (M-x(2) similar to 1.617 and M-y(2) similar to 1.635) was obtained. (C) 2019 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)