Multimode Ytterbium–Aluminosilicate Core Optical Fibre for Amplification and Laser Applications

Abstract

Rare-earth-doped optical fibres are widely used in lasers and amplifiers. The incorporation of ytterbium and aluminium oxide in a high doping concentration has led to the fabrication of a multi-mode (MM) optical fibre. Within this research, the design, preparation and calculation for the production of a fibre with a targeted 45 μm core diameter are explored. By Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, the doping concentrations of the elements in the core have been measured as 60.4 at.% Al and 1 at.% Yb. Supporting micrographs are used for confirming the core/cladding ratio. Based on the atomic percentage concentration, the calculated refractive index of the multi-element core has an n = 1.61 and an NA = 0.678. Characterisation of the fibre, including absorption and emission cross-section analysis, was performed in order to prove the ability of the fibre to be used for amplification as well as lasing applications.