Richard L Smart

US Patent:

57270074, Mar 10, 1998

Filed:

May 9, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/140201

Inventors:

Richard Gordon Smart - Naperville IL
David Colin Hanna - Southampton, GB
Anne Christine Tropper - Ropley, GB

Assignee:

Amoco Corporation - Chicago IL

International Classification:

H01S 330

US Classification:

372 6

Abstract:

The invention is based on the discovery that under certain conditions lasing at room temperature can be achieved in a Pr. sup. 3+ -doped fluorozirconate fiber pumped in the infrared at 1. 01. mu. m and 835 nm, the lasing taking place in the blue (491 nm), green (520 nm), orange (605 nm) and red (635 nm and 715 nm). One laser comprises a length of Pr. sup. 3+ -doped potical waveguide such as a fiber, and means for exciting the Pr. sup. 3+ ions to an energy level in the band (. sup. 3 P. sub. 2,. sup. 1 I. sub. 6,. sup. 3 P. sub. 1,. sup. 3 P. sub. 0), in which the Pr. sup. 3+ concentration is in the range substantially 50 ppm to substantially 10,000 ppm (by weight). The Pr. sup. 3+ concentration is preferably in the range substantially 200 ppm to substantially 2,000 ppm (by weight). The optical fiber is preferably a fluorozirconate fiber doped at the foregoing concentrations with Pr. sup. 3+ ions. The fiber preferably comprises a doped core clad with a further glass.