Optical amplification in an erbium-doped fluorozirconate fibre between 1480 nm and 1600 nm

Mears et al. (1987) and Desuvrire et al. (1987) have shown that high-gain travelling-wave fibre amplifiers at 1540 nm wavelength can be made using erbium-doped germania/silica materials. These amplifiers, which have reportedly low-noise characteristics have been optically pumped at 650 nm and 514 nm, regions where excited state absorption (ESA) of pump photons is minimal. Since ESA is most prevalent in silica hosts, it is important to study the photons is minimal. Since ESA is most prevalent in silica hosts, it is important to study the properties of erbium ions in other glasses. To this end, the authors have measured the small-signal gain characteristics of an erbium-doped fluorozirconate fibre, and produced a fibre laser in this host operating at 1560 nm