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Laser and
amplifier
fibers
Industry-leading fiber solutions for high-power lasers and amplifiers
In the dynamic landscape of laser and communication applications, the demand for heightened power, stability, and efficiency has never been more crucial.
As fiber lasers evolve from milliwatts to kilowatts, Exail's expertise in high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers sets new industry benchmarks. Leveraging the advantages of a high surface-to-volume ratio and the guiding effect, Exail ensures exceptional performance even under challenging conditions.
How fiber lasers and amplifiers work
Fiber lasers and amplifiers use optical fibers doped with rare-earth elements such as erbium, ytterbium, thulium, holmium or neodymium as the active gain medium. Unlike traditional bulk lasers, fiber-based systems guide light within a flexible, confined structure, supporting high spatial beam quality and thermal stability, while offering compact and reliable designs.
At their core, these devices work by “pumping” energy into the doped fiber to excite the rare-earth ions. These ions then release photons through stimulated emission, generating a high-intensity, coherent light source or amplifying an existing optical signal with minimal distortion.
UNLEASH THE POTENTIAL of doped fibers
Lasers and amplifiers fibers, represent a crucial technology in laser amplification primarily doped with rare earth ions like erbium (Er), neodymium (Nd), and ytterbium (Yb). The operational principle involves the stimulated emission of radiation, with excited ions amplifying the signal photon. Employing the waveguiding effect of optical fibers, these amplifiers find applications in various domains, from long-distance optical communications to high-power laser material processing.
Erbium/Ytterbium co-doped fibers
Erbium/Ytterbium co-doped fibers are optimized for high-power 1.5 μm amplifiers and lasers. They offer peak power, excellent beam quality, and ASE suppression, ideal for sensing, telecom, and medical applications.
Erbium doped fibers
Erbium-doped fibers provide efficient, low-noise signal amplification for C and L Band applications. With double-clad options for high-power use, they excel in long-range optical communications at 1.5 μm wavelengths.
Ytterbium doped fibers
Ytterbium-doped fibers offer high optical conversion efficiency and low noise for 1 μm amplifier/laser. With excellent pump absorption and low M², they deliver performance and are ideal for CW/pulsed laser.
Thulium/Holmium co-doped fibers
Thulium/holmium-doped fibers are designed for 1.9-2.2 µm laser (eye-safe wavelenght), with a triple-clad structure for high-power use. They offer high pump absorption, low M² and NA, large mode area, and efficient heat dissipation.
Thulium doped fibers
Thulium-doped fibers are designed for 1.9-2.2 µm fiber lasers, offering high pump absorption, low M², large mode area and high efficiency. Ideal for high-power CW/pulsed lasers as well as 2 µm amplifiers, ensuring reliable and efficient performance.
Holmium doped fibers
Holmium-doped fibers are optimized for 1.9 to 2.2 µm fiber lasers and amplifiers. Supporting high-power CW and pulsed lasers, they feature high pump absorption, large mode area, low M², and effective heat dissipation.
Neodymium doped fibers
Nd-doped fibers for 890–1100 nm lasers enhance efficiency with a tailored composition minimizing 1.06-µm emission, ensuring low splicing losses, high NA, low-index cladding and minimal macrobending losses for optimal performance.
Passive fibers
Passive fibers facilitate pump and signal delivery in various settings, from biotechnology to oil & gas. Our range includes polarization-maintaining and photosensitive fibers with a pure silica SM core, essential for fiber lasers and amplifiers.
Fibers for Raman Amplifiers
Phosphorous-doped fiber especially designed to achieve very high Raman gain at 1.48 µm for high-power pumping of E-doped fibers. P-Doped Fiber offers a Raman shifted gain that is three times higher than the germanium-doped fibers.
Rad-hard space grade doped fibers
Exail has produced more than 20 flying navigation systems that are equipped with our fibers and components. We have developed a strong experience in the qualification of such devices in collaboration with end users.
Multicore fibers
Multicore fibers can be used in a large variety of sensing application where the need to reduce the global footprint is also required for cables and connectors.
Coreless fibers
Coreless fibers are made of high-purity silica with an acrylate coating that can bed used to terminate fiber end faces, either to reduce the power density, reduce back reflections, or manufacture micro-optics.
Custom fibers
Exail offers optical fibers with virtually unlimited design possibilities and optimization in terms of geometry, doping material, and coating.
Types and Applications of Fiber Lasers
The versatility of fiber laser technology allows it to span a vast range of industrial and scientific sectors. From continuous wave (CW) lasers used in precision welding and cutting to ultrafast pulsed lasers (femtosecond or picosecond) essential for micro-machining and medical surgery, the configurations are diverse. In the telecommunications and sensing markets, fiber lasers are prized for their narrow linewidth and low noise. Furthermore, high-power versions are increasingly critical in aerospace and defense for Directed Energy (DE) applications and LIDAR systems, where reliability in harsh environments is non-negotiable.
FAQ
Fiber lasers and amplifiers are used in high-power and industrial lasers, LIDAR, optical communications, sensing, biomedical systems, defense and space applications.
Exail supplies Yb, Er, Er/Yb, Tm, Ho, Tm/Ho and Nd-doped fibers. These fibers cover applications from approximately 0.9 to 2.2 µm, including high-power 1 µm lasers, 1.5 µm amplifiers and 2 µm laser and amplifier systems.
Laser and amplifier fibers are used in high-power CW and pulsed lasers, LIDAR, telecommunications, sensing, biomedical systems, defense and space applications. Exail’s portfolio covers multiple wavelength ranges, including around 1 µm, 1.5 µm and 2 µm, with fiber designs adapted to different power and performance requirements.
The right active fiber depends on the signal wavelength, pump configuration, output power, operating mode, core size, numerical aperture, pump absorption and required beam quality. Fiber architecture, doping and mode area must also be matched to requirements such as efficiency, nonlinear effects, thermal management and polarization.
High-power fiber amplifiers must manage thermal effects, nonlinearities, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), photodarkening and mode instability. Fiber design, mode area, pump architecture, doping, fiber length and thermal management are key parameters for scaling power while maintaining beam quality and stability.
Polarization-maintaining (PM) amplifier fibers preserve a defined state of polarization along the fiber, which is important for polarization-sensitive and coherent applications. They are used in applications such as coherent beam combining, sensing and LIDAR. Exail offers PM versions of selected active fibers, including PM Er/Yb fibers.
Selected Exail fibers are designed for space and harsh environments, including radiation-hardened Er and Er/Yb fibers for space-grade amplifiers and laser systems. Exail has produced fibers and components used in more than 20 flying navigation systems. Specific fiber selection depends on the radiation, power, wavelength and environmental requirements of the application.
Yes. Exail provides matching passive fibers for pump and signal delivery alongside its active fiber portfolio. Options include single-mode, multimode, polarization-maintaining and double-clad fibers. Matching active and passive fibers can simplify integration and optimize mode-field and numerical-aperture compatibility.
