High-power cladding-pumped Tm-doped silica fiber laser with wavelength tuning from 1860 to 2090 nm

A high-power double-clad Tm-doped silica fiber laser, pumped by two beam-shaped and polarization-coupled diode bars at 787 nm, was wavelength tuned by use of an external cavity containing a diffraction grating. The Tm fiber laser produced a maximum output power of 7 W at 1940 nm for 40 W of incident diode power and was tuned over a wavelength range of 230 nm from 1860 to 2090 nm, with >5-W output power over the range 1870-2040 nm. The prospects for further improvement in performance and extension of the tuning range are discussed. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.