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Development of visible up-conversion fiber laser based

on modified Silica glass host

Project Update for

Brain-Gain Malaysia Program

Panel Site Visit

By Hairul A. Abdul Rashid, Ph.D

MMU

22nd December, 2010

.

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Contents

• Introduction

• Physical Progress

• Financial Progress

• Corrective Actions

• Requests

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Introduction

• Design, Fabricate and Characterize:– Visible wavelength – Fiber laser– Modified Silica Host

• Under guidance of visiting scientist:– Dr. Mukul Chandra Paul, CGCRI, India

• Collaboration:– TM R&D

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Methodology

• Development– Preform fabrication – Fiber drawing– Fiber laser setup

• Characterization– Fiber dimensions– Emission/ Lasing properties

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Fiber Design• Core composition:

SiO2+Al2O3+Yb2O3+Pr2O3+ZrO2/Y2O3+F

• Core diameter: 25μm• Inner cladding diameter: 200μm• Coating dia: 400±25μm• Core NA: 0.12• Cladding NA: 0.45 - 0.49• Pr and Yb doping level: 1.0 - 1.5 wt%

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Updates• Preform Fabrication

– MCVD is ready to run deposition– Not fully sintered– Recipe need to modify– Solution doping - doping of Pr3+ and Yb3+ into alumino-silicate glass

modified with incorporation of ZrO2 and PbF2 or F of optical fibre preform.

– Solution doping station: • Design complete• motor and pump ready• Preparing tubing

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Set Up For Solution Doping

Peristaltic Pump Motor

Dopant Solution

Drain Valve

Fabricated porous soot

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• Fiber drawing– Milling of the preform into D-shaped inner cladding structure– Polishing– Resin coating for outer cladding– Fiber drawing– Drawing tower in UM is not ready (expected February 2011)– Fiber drawing will be done in CGCRI– Quotation ready

Updates

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• Fiber Laser setup– Lasing wavelength range:- Visible range (400-

800nm)– Output Power range:- 0.01-0.1W– Pump configuration with other parameters:-

Wavelength (800nm or 980 nm), Pump Power (1000mW)

Updates

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Characterization Progress

Schematic diagram of visible wavelength Pr3+ Doped fiber laser setupThere will be three types of pump wavelength to be proposed for this project :1.1064nm2.800nm3.980nm

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Multimode laser diode

Uncooled High Power Laser DiodeMax Power (10W)

High Power Laser Diode Driver (Controller)

High Power Laser Detector

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Laser Diode Characteristics

Bookham 980nm Laser Diode Charactereristics at typical operating current (extrapolated)

Bookham 980nm Laser Diode Charactereristics near threshold current

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• Characterization– Material study of Pr doped modified silica based

glass structure using EPMA, SEM-EDX, XRD and TEM analyses

– To be done in CGCRI– Quotation ready

Updates

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• Characterization• Geometrical and optical property of the

fabricated fibres will be done through measurement of core diameter, inner cladding diameter, coating thickness and RI profile using Fibre Analyser along with optical loss by the spectral attenuation set-up.

• Setup is ready

Updates

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Physical Progress

• Original Gantt Chart

• Milestone #1– Complete fabrication– June 2010– Not achieved (yet)

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Reasons

• Milestone #1 not achieved

• Dr. Mukul was involved in some industrial accident.

• Currently recovering and undergoing physiotherapy

• Late disbursement, October 2010

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Corrective Actions• Necessary equipment and raw materials for

fabrication is ready• Dr. Mukul’s trip to Malaysia in January 2011• Hairul to visit Dr. Mukul (private)• In the mean time, our team is running several runs in

the MCVD through his guidance over email.• Start earlier on other project activities:

characterization

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Physical Progress• Revised Gantt Chart

• Revised Milestone

– Milestone #1: March 2011

– Milestone #2: May 2011

– Milestone #3: August 2011

    2010  2011

# Task Name Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mac Apr May June July Aug

1 Setting up solution doping station                      

2Fabrication of preform using MCVD

method                     

3 Doping using solution doping                    

4 Fiber Drawing                      

5 Fiber optical and physical characterization

6Visible fiber laser construction and

characterizations                     

7 Analysis of characterization results                      

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Request

• Extension: 31st August, 2011

• Fiber drawing and characterization will be done in CGCRI

• Team to visit CGCRI in March 2011

• Use existing budget since Dr. Mukul can spend only 2 months maximum

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Financial Progress• Approved Project Allocation : RM_312,100_ • Year 1 ( 2010 ) : RM_246,600__ • Total Allocation Received To date : RM_246,600_• Total Expenditure To date: RM_ 140,852.45 __or

_57.12__%• Balance of Allocation To date : RM_ 105,747.55

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APPENDIX

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Background

• Visible laser light sources– Spectroscopy– Printing technology– Medical applications

www.physics.unlv.edu/facilities.html

www.physics.unlv.edu/facilities.html www.physics.unlv.edu/facilities.html

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Background

• Currently – air cooled ion lasers– frequency doubled solid-state lasers

• Problem– high power consumption– complicated nonlinear parametrical processes

• Up-conversion fiber lasers operating directly in the visible spectral range offer a simple alternative

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Advantages

• phases of the incident light = phase up-conversion light, not required

• Lower cost, mature semiconductor laser as pump

• Glass hosts as wave guides– increases the optical gain length– decreases the pumped power by the optical

restriction effect– beam quality

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Problem Definition

• Up-conversion lasers based on glass fibers– high pump intensities over long lengths– laser threshold

• silica glass unsuitable due to high phonon energies– cause strong multi-phonon transitions– lead to too short metastable level lifetimes.

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Problem Definition

• Alternatively, heavy-metal fluoride glasses (e.g. ZBLAN)– tends to be fragile and expensive

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Solution• fabricate compact, mass-producible, high-power

up-conversion visible wavelength fiber lasers• employs cheap, readily available IR

semiconductor lasers • research required to identify suitable materials

for host•  

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Solution• Use Praseodymium (Pr) with Ytterbium (Yb) as a

co-dopant– Emission occurs at multiple visible wavelengths including

blue/green, green and red– Previous proof of high efficiency upconversion lasing in

ZBLAN optical fibres– Use of a single wavelength pumping source when co-

doped with Ytterbium (Yb).– The apparent lack of a photodarkening mechanism.

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Modified Host• Fluoride and Tellurite hosts offer better

quantum efficiencies – however properties are problematic, non-practical device.

• Doping silica materials with Pr3+ or Yb3++Pr3+ – low fluorescence– high phonon quenching

• Need for modified silica host

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Objectives

• Development of Pr3+ and Yb3++Pr3+ co-doped modified silica based glass host containing around 80-85mol% of SiO2 for use as cladding pump visible up-conversion fibre laser in blue, green and red regions.

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Objectives

• Optimization of the core composition of Pr3+ and Yb3+ doped silica glass based optical fibres to improve their lasing property from view point of material study and fibre design.

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Objectives

• Standardization of different process parameters during fabrication of preform, milling followed by polishing in the D shaped inner cladding structure and fibre drawing stage to get desired waveguide parameters of the fibres .

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Objectives

• Spectroscopy study of RE dope nano-crystallite fibre.

• Evolution of the lasing property of the fabricated Pr3+ and Pr+Yb codoped cladding pump fibres.

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Visiting Scientist

• DR. MUKUL CHANDRA PAUL

• Optical Communication Fiber Laboratory

• Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute

• Expertise - Fiber Optics, Material Science

• CV attached

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• CGCRI support/ approval

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Methodology

• Development– Fabrication – Fiber Laser setup

• Characterization– Fiber dimensions– Lasing properties

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Proposed fiber A• Core composition:

SiO2+Al2O3+Yb2O3+Pr2O3+ZrO2/Y2O3+F

• Core Dia:- 20-25 micron• Inner cladding dia:- 200μm• Coating dia: 400±25μm• Core NA:- 0.12 ±0.01• Cladding NA:- 0.45-0.49• Pr and Yb doping level:- 1.0- 1.5 wt%

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Proposed fiber B• Core composition:

• SiO2+Al2O3+Yb2O3+Pr2O3+ZrO2+PbF2

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Project Activities

• Fabrication– Doping of Pr3+ and Yb3+ into alumino-silicate glass

modified with incorporation of ZrO2 and PbF2 or F of optical fibre preform.

– Milling of the preform into D-shaped inner cladding structure

– Polishing– Drawing of fibre

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Project Activities

• Fiber Laser setup– Lasing wavelength range:- Visible range (400-

800nm)– Output Power range:- 0.01-0.1W– Pump configuration with other parameters:-

Wavelength (800nm or 980 nm), Pump Power (1000mW)

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Project Activities

• Characterization– Material study of Pr doped modified silica based glass

structure using EPMA, SEM-EDX, XRD and TEM analyses

– Geometrical and optical property of the fabricated fibres will be done through measurement of core diameter, inner cladding diameter , coating thickness and RI profile using Fibre Analyser along with optical loss by the spectral attenuation set-up.

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Characterization

• Study of lasing property of Pr3+ and Pr3++Yb3+ doped fibers

• Pumped by 980 nm laser

Pr+Yb codoped D shaped low RI coated fiber

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MilestonesNo Milestones Completion Date Deliverables

1. Complete fabrication June 2010 new modified host glass fiber

2. Complete characterization September 2010 Full characterization results of the visible fiber laser based on the new modified host glass fiber

3. Complete results analysis December 2010 Full analysis on characterization results of the visible fiber laser based on the new modified host glass fiber

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Gantt Chart

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Project CostCategory RM

a) Sustenance (DV, IFPD, B2L, R&D)

RM 7,000/ man-month RM 7,000 x 6 months = RM 42,000

b) Return Air Fare (DV, IFPD, R&D only) RM 1,600 X 3 times = RM 4,800

c) Medical Insurance (DV, IFPD, B2L, R&D) RM 500 X 6 months = RM 3,000

d) Top-up project cost (consumables, 1 Research Assistant, equipment rental cost) (R&D only) (Please itemized) see below

RM257,300

e) Accommodation RM5,000

TOTAL RM312,100

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Top-up Project Cost

• RO Cost = RM 24,000

• Cost related to fabrication RM204,300

• Cost related to characterization RM29,000

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BenefitsNo. Impact

1. Enhanced knowledge in fabrication of advanced materials will allow researchers and scientist in to move up the value chain with access to more materials that potentially have numerous applications.

2. With the enhanced knowledge in fabrication, new modified host glass fiber can be designed, fabricated and characterized leading to potential commercialization and quality publication.

3. Success in identifying a suitable host material will allow high-power visible wavelength lasers to be mass-produced. This in turn would allow the creation of a new high-technology laser company which would further increase the Malyasia and profile in this very strategic area.

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Current Facilities

• Photonics Lab, TM R&D

• Head of Lab, Dr. Abdul Aziz Mat Hassan

• Fabrication– MCVD– Quartz Etcher

• Preform Profiler

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Lathe

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Bubbler

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Gas Delivery System

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DI Water Facilities

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Gas Farm

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Scrubber

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Preform Profiler

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Current Facilities

• Characterization– Visible Spectrometer– Power Meter (High Power)– RF Spectrum Analyzer (Linewidth Measurement)– Beam Profiler

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OSA, TLS, Current Controller

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Power Meter, Attenuator, PD

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Digital Sampling Scope

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LabVIEW Control

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Visible Spectrometer

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Visit to CGCRI, Kolkata• Visit on December 2009

• Discussion with Dr. Mukul Paul, Dr. Badhra

• Focus on fabrication and characterization of silica fiber

• Facilities: fabrication (MCVD, drawing tower, solution dopping, UV FBG/ LPG), characterization (preform analyzer, fiber analyzer, optical amplifier characterization)

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Acknowledgement

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THANK YOU!