Abstract

The development of fluoride fiber has resulted in a family of rare earth-doped fiber lasers and amplifiers, pumped by upconversion and operating in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared.¹ Being compact and efficient, they are attractive for several applications, including medical diagnostics and optical communications in the visible portion of the spectrum. In this paper, we present experimental measurements of the gain and saturation intensity for a Ho:ZBLAN fiber amplifier operating in the green. To our knowledge, the saturation intensity measurements are the first for any upconversion-pumped fiber oscillator or amplifier.

© 2002 Optical Society of America