Polymer-Optical-Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers Doped with Organic Dyes

Polymer optical fibers (POFs) doped with organic dyes can be used to make efficient lasers and amplifiers due to the high gains achievable in short distances. This paper analyzes the peculiarities of light amplification in POFs through some experimental data and a computational model capable of carrying out both power and spectral analyses. We investigate the emission spectral shifts and widths and on the optimum signal wavelength and pump power as functions of the fiber length, the fiber numerical aperture and the radial distribution of the dopant. Analyses for both step-index and graded-index POFs have been done.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion under projects TEC2009-14718-C03-01 and COBOR, by the Gobierno Vasco/Eusko Jaurlaritza under projects GIC07/156-IT-343-07, AIRHEM, S-PR10UN04, and S-PE10CA01, and by the Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia/Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia under project 06-12-TK-2010-0022. The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under grant agreement no. 212912 (AISHA II). I. Ayesta has a research fellowship from Vicerrectorado de Euskara y Plurilinguismo, Universidad del Pais Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), while working on his PhD