Dysprosium mid-infrared lasers: current status and future prospects

Abstract

With growing interest in the mid-infrared spectral region, dysprosium has recently been revisited for efficient high-performance infrared source development. Despite historically receiving less attention than other rare earth ions, in recent years lasers utilizing the dysprosium ion as the laser material have set record mid-infrared performance, including tunability from 2.8 to 3.4 um (in addition to 4.3 um lasing), continuous wave powers exceeding 10 W, greater than 73% slope efficiencies, and even ultrafast pulsed operation. Herein, the unique energy level structure and spectroscopy of the dysprosium ion are examined and the major developments that have led to this resurgence of interest and subsequent record mid-infrared laser performance are surveyed. Also mid-infrared applications of emerging dysprosium lasers are highlighted, in addition to surveying the many opportunities that lie ahead.

References in corpus (9)

• Versatile and widely tunable mid-infrared erbium doped ZBLAN fiber laser
• Dysprosium-doped ZBLAN fiber laser tunable from 2.8 μm to 3.4 μm, pumped at 1.7 μm
• Yellow laser performance of Dy${}^{3+}$ in co-doped Dy,Tb:LiLuF${}_4$
• Emission beyond 4 μm and mid-infrared lasing in a dysprosium-doped indium fluoride (InF3) fiber
• Watt-level dysprosium fiber laser at 3.15 μm with 73% slope efficiency
• Swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser for real-time ammonia gas sensing
• Mode-locked dysprosium fiber laser: picosecond pulse generation from 2.97 to 3.30 μm
• Q-switched Dy:ZBLAN fiber lasers beyond 3 μm: comparison of pulse generation using acousto-optic modulation and inkjet-printed black phosphorus
• Ultrafast mid-infrared fiber laser mode-locked using frequency-shifted feedback

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Self-sweeping ytterbium-doped fiber laser based on a fiber saturable absorber