Moderate-power cw fibre lasers

A review of the development and investigation of moderate-power (10^-1–10² W) cw fibre lasers is presented. The properties of optical fibres doped with rare-earth ions and methods for fabricating double-clad fibres are considered. The methods for fabrication of fibre Bragg gratings used as selective reflectors are discussed and the grating properties are analysed. The main pump schemes for double-clad fibre lasers are described. The properties of fibre lasers doped with neodymium, ytterbium, erbium, thulium, and holmium ions are also considered. The principles of fabrication of Raman converters of laser radiation based on optical fibres of different compositions are discussed and the main results of their studies are presented. It is concluded that fibre lasers described in the review can produce moderate-power radiation at any wavelength in the spectral range from 0.9 to 2 μm.