High power fiber lasers and amplifiers

Singlemode fiber lasers and amplifiers are limited by the available pump power which can be coupled into a singlemode core. This limitation is imposed by the reliability of diodes with small active area and narrow farfield light distribution. This constraint can be lifted by employing cladding-pumping technology in which the pump is coupled directly into the cladding of the fiber instead of the core, where it propagates in a second, concentric waveguide. Large area, high power diodes up to 40 watts can thus be used to generate light which is emitted from the singlemode fiber core. This talk discusses the operation and application of this technology.