Tm-doped alkaline earth aluminate glass for optical amplification at 1460 nm

The applicability of aluminate glasses as the active material in a thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) was examined. Spectroscopy of Tm-doped glasses indicated a large bandwidth of ∼150 nm for the 3H4 → 3F4 S band emission of Tm3+ and a corresponding quantum efficiency of ∼35%. The potential for fiberization was evaluated by differential thermal analysis and parallel plate viscometry. The results demonstrated that Mg-stabilized CaBa aluminate glasses have greater resistance to devitrification and, as such, are promising host glasses for TDFAs.