Mid-IR Supercontinuum Generation beyond 7 μm using a Silica-Fluoride-Chalcogenide Fiber Cascade

摘要

We report on an experimental demonstration of mid-infrared cascaded supercontinuum generation in commercial silica, fluoride, and chalcogenide fibers as a potentially cheap and practical alternative to direct pumping schemes. A pump continuum up to 4.4 μm was generated in cascaded silica and fluoride fibers by an amplified 1.55 μm nanosecond diode laser. By pumping a commercial Ge_(10)As_(22)Se_(68) single-material photonic crystal fiber with 135.7 mW of the pump continuum from 3.5- 4.4 μm, we obtained a continuum up to 7.2 μm with a total output power after the collimating lens of 54.5 mW, and 3.7 mW above 4.5 μm.