Publications

Combined photodarkening and thermal bleaching measurement of an ytterbium-doped fiber

Ponsoda, Joan J.Montiel; Söderlund, Mikko; Koplow, Jeffrey P.; Koponen, Joona; Iho, Aarni; Honkanen, Seppo

A combined photodarkening and thermal bleaching measurement of a large-mode-area (LMA) ytterbium-doped fiber (YDF) is presented. Photodarkened YDF sample is recovered to pre-photodarkened state by thermal annealing. As a result, this approach enables repeated measurements with the same sample and therefore eliminates uncertainties related to changing of the sample (such as sample length and splice losses). Additionally, our approach potentially improves the accuracy and repeatability of the photodarkening rate measurement, and also allows automation of the measurement procedure. © 2009 SPIE.