Toward an ultra-broadband emission source based on the Bismuth and Erbium co-doped optical fiber and a single 830nm laser diode pump

We demonstrate a broadband optical emission from Bi/Er codoped fiber and a single 830nm laser diode pump. The ultra-broadband mechanism is studied and discussed in details based on a combination of experimental measurements, including luminescence, differential luminescence and ESA, on fiber samples of different Bi and Er concentrations. The Er co-doping in Bi doped fiber is found to be effective for broadband emission, by enhancing not only luminescence at C and L bands but also that at O and shorter wavelength bands. The luminescence intensity between 1100 and 1570nm is over -45dBm/5nm in single mode fiber using a few meters of Bi/Er co-doped fiber and offers a modest ~40dB dynamic range and a broad bandwidth of ~470nm for an OSA based spectral measurement. © 2013 Optical Society of America