Multi-wavelength Bismuth-doped fiber laser in 1.3 mu m based on a compact two-mode fiber filter

• Main Authors: Ahmad, Harith, Kamaruddin, Nurul Hazierah, Aidit, Siti Nabilah, Samion, Muhamad Zharif, Zaini, Muhammad Khairol Annuar, Bayang, Leonard, Wang, Yu, Wang, Siyi, Sahu, Jayanta K., Yasin, Moh
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier Sci Ltd 2021
• Subjects: QC Physics
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/34313/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

In this work, a multi-wavelength Bismuth-doped fiber laser (MWLBDFL) operating in the 1.3 mu m wavelength region is presented and experimentally demonstrated. The MWLBDFL leveraged on a 60 m Bismuth-doped fiber as an active gain medium, a compact two-mode fiber filter (TMFF) as a comb filter and a 2 km single-mode fiber section to induce four-wave mixing in the system. By optimising the polarization controller, the MWLBDFL generated 18 stable lasing output channels within 10 dB from the highest lasing line and a reasonably flat spectrum over a range of 11 nm. The stability of the MWLBDFL tested for a 150-minute duration showed a peak power fluctuation of less than 1 dB with a negligible wavelength drift. The extinction ratio of the TMFF was approximately 8.6 dB while the highest and lowest optical-signal-to-noise ratios (OSNRs) of the MWLBDFL were similar to 55 dB and similar to 50 dB, respectively. To the best of the author's knowledge, the proposed MWLBDFL demonstrates the highest number of output channels compared to other MWLs operating in the same wavelength region.