Long-band emission of microsphere lasers based on erbium-doped sol-gel silica-alumina glasses

This letter reports on long-band (L band) lasing whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) in microspheres based on sol-gel silica-alumina glasses doped with high concentration of erbium ions (Er+3 from 1250 to 15 000 ppm). The sol-gel method for making these Er-doped silica-alumina glasses is described. The microspheres with diameters from 40 to 200 mu m were built by electrical arc. The experimental results show that laser oscillations with high gain at L band were obtained with different coupling schemes, especially with forward pumping and/or backward pumping coupling. The collected laser output power of one WGM could reach to -5 dBm in the L band of 1570-1610 nm. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.