2 μm Watt-Level Fiber Amplifiers, Lasers, and ASE Sources Pumped by Broadband ASE Pumps

We report the design and demonstration of novel 2 μm band Watt-level fiber amplifiers, fiber lasers, and wideband ASE sources that are pumped with broad spectrum Watt-level ASE sources instead of conventional fiber laser pumps. We show good agreement between the simulations and experimental results for the performance of a single-stage Ho-doped fiber amplifier at 2050nm wavelength pumped by a 50 nm broadband Tm-doped ASE source centered at 1860 nm. Next, we show that the new ASE pumping approach works effectively for a two -stage Ho-doped fiber amplifier as for a single stage Ho-doped fiber amplifier. Then, we demonstrate successfully the pumping of a Tm-doped fiber laser at 2039 nm using an ASE source centered at 1550 nm. Finally, we produce a novel 265 nm wide broadband ASE source at 2 μm by concatenating Tm and Ho ASE sources. Our ASE-based pumping approach is simple and versatile compared to the standard laser based pumping means, and leads to similar device performance.