Birkerod, Denmark - NKT Photonics has introduced aeroGAIN-ROD fibers, a new generation of ytterbium gain fibers designed specifically for the ultra-fast fiber laser market. They offer a high peak power capability, while keeping a diffraction-limited beam quality and robust coupling. Their performance makes them suitable for the next generation of high-power ultra-fast fiber lasers for use in semiconductor applications, materials processing, and imaging.
Fiber lasers have long been displacing solid state and gas lasers in the continuous wave and slow pulse segments but the fiber revolution now moves towards ultra fast systems in the picosecond and femtosecond regime. However, the output power of ultra-fast fiber lasers has typically been limited to a few watts due to nonlinear effects. Bigger cores and shorter fiber are traditionally the go-to solutions but often with compromises in mode quality and stability to follow.
However, tilizing the latest PCF technology, the new aeroGAIN-ROD fibers can handle peak power in the megawatt regime while keeping a diffraction-limited beam quality. Moreover, they offer a much larger gain bandwidth compared to solid state solutions, offering a solution for direct processing at 1 micron or for further frequency conversion.
The aeroGAIN-ROD is available with 55 or 85 micron polarization-maintaining core and each model is available in a Standard and a Power version designed for different power levels.
The aeroGAIN line of fibers, rods and amplifier modules will be on display at booth no. 417 at Photonics West 2013 in San Francisco, taking place February 2-7, 2013.