Abstract

Ultrafast fiber-based lasers have always been a promising technological path towards uniquely high power and potentially very compact and robust femtosecond laser systems. However, combining power scaling with compactness and robustness in such systems so far remained quite elusive due to two main constraints: (i) the absence of compact monolithic pulse compressors, which could provide nanosecond-stretched pulse compression at high powers and energies, and (ii) the use of large core fibers with limited robustness, such as LMA or photonic-crystal rods. Due to these constraints, all demonstrated ultrashort-pulse and high power fiber lasers are essentially laboratory type systems, with free-space coupling and pumping arrangements and, more importantly, using cumbersomely large pulse compressors based on diffraction gratings. Over last few years, we have been developing new solutions to both these constraints: chirped volume Bragg grating compact pulse compressors [1] and robustly single-mode large-core fibers using chirally-coupled-core (CCC) structures [2], recently demonstrating high average power and 200fs FCPA based on these new components.

© 2009 IEEE