Laser-diode-pumped mirror-free Er(3+)-doped fiber laser.

We have demonstrated 1.47-microm laser-diode-pumped Er(3+)-doped fiber laser operation at 1.552 microm, in which a cleaved fiber facet with 4% reflectivity is used as the output mirror. The pump source is a 1.47-microm InGaAsP laser diode inserted into the fiber laser cavity. End pumping a 7-m-long Er(3+)-doped fiber yields an output power of 1 mW for an absorbed pump power of 60 mW and a slope efficiency of 6.25%.