Background loss and devitrification in Nd-doped fiber laser glass

Summary form only given. It is well known that cluster formation and phase separation occur at high Nd concentrations in a silica-alumina host, leading to a decrease of the fluorescence lifetime. However, also at lower concentrations the host glass composition has important influence on the performance of the laser fiber. Here we report on observations concerning background loss and devitrification behavior of laser glasses with different co-dopants.