Linearly polarized ytterbium-doped fiber laser in a pedestal design with aluminosilicate inner cladding

Ytterbium‐doped polarization‐maintaining fiber in a pedestal geometry is demonstrated using MCVD and a novel in‐situ doping technique. The aluminosilicate pedestal layers minimize the thermal expansion mismatch against the silica outer cladding and permits complete freedom of location for the stress‐applying parts in the fiber. A birefringence of 2.4×10–4 is experimentally determined. The fiber delivers linearly polarized laser exhibiting 79% slope efficiency with a polarization extinction ratio of 12 dB. (© 2011 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA) (© 2011 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA)