All-fiberized SBS-based high repetition rate sub-nanosecond Yb fiber laser for supercontinuum generation

We report an all-fiberized SBS-based high repetition rate sub-nanosecond Yb fiber laser for supercontinuum generation. The high repetition rate ns laser pulses were produced from a fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-constructed fiber laser cavity consisting of a piece of double cladding Yb fiber as the gain medium and a short piece of Bi/Cr-doped fiber as a saturable absorber (SA). By optimizing the fiber length of the Bi/Cr-doped fiber and the reflectivity of the FBG, the Q-switching state of the fiber laser can be adjusted so that the energy storing condition within the fiber cavity can assure the start of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and as a result, compress the laser pulse duration. The fiber laser had an average laser power output of 1.2 W at 1064 nm with pulse repetition rate of about 80 kHz, almost four times the reported results. The pulse duration was about 1 ns with peak power of about 15 kW. After one stage of amplification, the laser power was raised to about 3 W and was used to pump a 20 m long photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Supercontiuum (SC) laser output was obtained with average power up to 1.24 W and spectrum spanning from 550 to 2200 nm. (letter)