Abstract

Upcoming applications in material processing, countermeasures, remote sensing and spectroscopy will rely on the development of simple and reliable sources that generate intense laser pulses in the mid-IR spectral region (3-20 μm). Fiber lasers are certainly among the most promising candidates for such applications. Mid-IR ultrafast fiber lasers have been recently demonstrated using Er³⁺- and Ho³⁺- doped fluoride glass fibers [1,2]. However, the emission spectra of these soliton fiber lasers are currently limited to wavelengths below 3 μm. The energies and peak powers of the generated pulses also remain modest (respectively < 7 nJ and < 50 kW) as compared to existing mid-IR solid-state laser systems based on parametric conversion.

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