High-stability Er/sup 3+/-doped superfluorescent fiber sources

Data are presented on Er/sup 3+/-doped superfluorescent fiber sources showing the dependence of output characteristics on pump wavelength and power, fiber length, fiber temperature, and feedback. In particular, the broadband operation and mean wavelength stability required for fiber optic gyroscope applications are evaluated. Substantial improvements in the mean wavelength stability with pump power have been achieved by optimizing the fiber length. An all-fiber superfluorescent fiber source utilizing a fiber-pigtailed 980-nm diode pump laser is demonstrated, with a 1-h mean wavelength stability better than 0.9 ppm RMS and /spl les/8 ppm drift over 20 h. The intrinsic mean wavelength variation versus fiber temperature is measured, with values of 4.8 and 3.0 ppm//spl deg/PC obtained for fiber lengths of 23 and 78 m, respectively.<
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