Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Robert Pafchek

Elias Snitzer

Abdessamad Elyamani

A system for producing an optical gain, the system including a host having a light conducting path doped with thulium, holmium, and at least one rare earth selected from the group consisting of europium and terbium in respective amounts sufficient to produce an optical gain by energizing the thulium to a .sup.3 H.sub.4 state to produce an optical gain by a .sup.3 H.sub.4 -.sup.3 F.sub.4 transition, producing a 1.47 .mu.m wavelength output. There is subsequent energy transfer from the .sup.3 F.sub.4 state of the thulium to a .sup.5 I.sub.7 state of the holmium, and energy transfer from the .sup.5 I.sub.7 state to the rare earth selected from the group consisting of europium and terbium. The system can include oscillator, amplifier, and superluminescence source configurations. A method for making and a method for using the system are included.

Four-level multiply doped rare earth laser system

An optical fiber having a core with a composition consisting essentially of 48 to 60 mole percent ZrF.sub.4, 15 to 25 mole percent BaF.sub.2, 1 to 5 mole percent LaF.sub.3, 1 to 5 mole percent AlF.sub.3, 15 to 22 mole percent NaF, and 1 to 8 mole percent ThF.sub.4 ; and a cladding having an index of refraction lower than that of the core. The glass of the core can be doped, for example, with rare earths. Built-in casting, rotational casting, casting around a rod, and rod-in-tube methods can be used to produce optical fibers having a composition in accordance with the present invention and having improved resistance to crystallization, as compared to ZBLAN glasses, even in the presence of rare earth dopants.

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Piscataway, NJ, United States of America

Robert Pafchek