Active optical fibres for application in laser and broadband ASE sources

The article brings into focus the present state of technology employing active fibres doped with rare earth (RE) ions for applications requiring power supply of several dozen watts and broadband ASE sources. Current trends in development of glasses and in construction of active fibres used in fibre sources of radiation within VIS-NIR range are presented. Technological constraints in the doping of fibre core glasses are discussed, with particular consideration of optimal RE concentration for technical applications. Characteristics of glasses are offered, and the glasses are used for manufacturing optical fibres with luminescence within the visible as well as near- and mid-infrared ranges. Also, requirements and luminescence properties concerning glasses co-doped with e.g. Nd3+/Yb3+,Tm3+/Ho3+ and Yb3+/Tb3+ are discussed. Results of research on the impact of technological parameters of glass matrices on luminescence properties of core glasses and optical fibres are quoted. For the doped glasses of which luminescence in a wide spectral range is desired, conditions for their processing into optical fibre systems are mentioned. Additionally, the impact of phonon energy in the glass on producing emission in a specified spectral range is analyzed. Furthermore, the article presents directions of technological studies to solve problems persisting in the phase of glass matrix design, as well as in determining the influence of fibre drawing process on the luminescence properties of core glasses and optical fibres, confirming the differences in luminescence stemming from the drawing process. Finally, some original designs of core glasses and active multicore fibre systems devised for construction of fibre radiation sources are presented.