Abstract

1.3 μm lasers are promising candidates for cost-efficient commercial applications in high-bit rate optical fiber communication systems. Lasers based on quantum dots or semiconductors are one of the possible solutions to achieve a 1.3 pm output wavelength. However, in last few years, research lias been centralized to design and develop all-fiber based laser sources either by doping the core of an optical fiber by rare-earth ions (active materials) or by wavelength conversion through stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) process. The SRS has been widely used to amplify the signals of any transmission band prior to the availability of a suitable pump source. The development of fiber-based laser sources (output wavelengths 1060-1130 mn) and high-reflectivity Bragg gratings (either used externally or inscribed within the core of the fiber) have drawn attention to develop higher-order laser wavelengths by employing the Raman gain achieved by nesting the Raman stokes cavities [1], By using a pump of 1064 mn, a fiber Raman laser (FRL) at 1480 mn wavelength can be obtained by five or six orders stokes shift. Until now, conventional optical silica glass fibers have been used to develop FRLs and gennanosilicate glass fibers are used to achieve a 1.3 pm optical amplifier [2], According to the best of our knowledge, no efforts have been made to design and develop 1.3 pm fiber based laser source based on either conventional or microstructure fiber technology.

© 2007 IEEE