A superfluorescent broadband fiber laser sourcecomprises a fiber doped with laser material coupled to amultiplexing coupler. In the preferred embodiment, asource of pumping illumination provides pumping light tothe doped fiber, and the coupler is adjusted to have a 0%coupling efficiency at the wavelength of the source. Thepumping light is sufficiently intense to produce amplifiedspontaneous emission within the doped fiber, and gives riseto a forward signal and a backward signal. One of thesuperfluorescent signals is reflected back to the dopedfiber by a reflector cemented to one end of the doped fiberor to one end of another fiber through the couplingfunction of the coupler. The coupler is adjusted toprovide complete coupling at the frequency of the lasinglight. The temperature dependence of the coupler can beselected to reduce or cancel the temperature dependence ofthe superfluorescent signal. Other arrangements utilizingthe multiplexing properties of the coupler are alsodescribed. An all-fiber reflector can also be used.
展开▼
