Improved fiber lasers for industrial applications

Dec. 5, 2011
Paderborn, Germany – Gooch & Housego, the global optical and systems manufacturer, has announced the launch of a European Union-funded FP7 project, in which the company is the lead partner. The initial meeting for the 4.5 million Euro collaborative project, "Integrated Disruptive Components for 2 Micron Fiber Lasers" (ISLA), was held in October at Trinity College, Dublin.

Paderborn, Germany – Gooch & Housego, the global optical and systems manufacturer, has announced the launch of a European Union-funded FP7 project, in which the company is the lead partner. The initial meeting for the 4.5-million-Euro collaborative project, "Integrated Disruptive Components for 2 Micron Fiber Lasers" (ISLA), was held in October at Trinity College, Dublin.

Two-micron fiber laser technology has the potential to open a whole new area of industrial applications. The power scaling advantages enabled from increased core size and higher nonlinear thresholds offer a tenfold increase in "raw power" compared with current 1 micron-based technology.

Simultaneously, a host of applications specific to this almost unexplored region of the eye-safe spectrum become possible, including: industrial processing, freespace communications, and medical procedures. Undoubtedly, more will arise as currently exotic wavelengths become readily available.

To date, the lack of suitable components has blocked R&D in this field. However, several recent disruptive component developments have changed the landscape:

  1. Ho-doped silica fiber technology has advanced, providing a solid base for development,
  2. All-fiber component technology offers integrated functionality,
  3. Better isolator materials and new designs offer potential for effective 2 micron devices,
  4. New modulator materials and designs allow Q-switches, filters & switches,
  5. Carbon nanotube composites offer effective sub-ps modelockers, and
  6. 790 nm diode technology is ripe for development for optimum direct pumping of Tm.


The project partners are Gooch and Housego, Rofin Sinar Laser GmbH, Oclaro, Time-Bandwidth Products, The University of Southampton, Trinity College, Dublin, and Vivid Components.

Information on the ISLA project can be found at www.isla-project.eu.

Sponsored Recommendations

March 31, 2025
Enhance your remote sensing capabilities with Chroma's precision-engineered optical filters, designed for applications such as environmental monitoring, geospatial mapping, and...
March 31, 2025
Designed for compatibility with a wide range of systems, Chroma's UV filters are engineered to feature high transmission, superior out-of-band blocking, steep edge transitions...
March 31, 2025
Discover strategies to balance component performance and system design, reducing development time and costs while maximizing efficiency.
March 31, 2025
Explore the essential role of optical filters in enhancing Raman spectroscopy measurements including the various filter types and their applications in improving signal-to-noise...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!