Demonstration of multi-Watt all-fiber superfluorescent source operating near 980 nm

The superfluorescent Yb-doped fiber source operating near 980 nm is studied. The design requirement is theoretically discussed aiming to suppress the amplified spontaneous emission around 1030 nm in the 980-nm superfluorescent fiber source. Based on the theoretical study, a multi-Watt, all-fiber, bi-directional, pumped, superfluorescent source operating near 980 nm is designed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The recorded 8.38-W combined output power is obtained with a 3-dB bandwidth about 3.5 nm. The power scaling of the 980-nm superfluorescent fiber source is limited by the parasitic laser oscillation.