Fiber laser is a laser device that uses glass fiber doped with rare earth elements (such as ytterbium, erbium, thulium, etc.) as the gain medium. It achieves particle number inversion through pump light excitation and forms laser oscillation output in the resonant cavity. It belongs to solid-state lasers and has obvious advantages such as high photoelectric conversion efficiency, simple structure, and good beam quality. It has been widely used in multiple fields.
Fiber lasers work based on the principle of stimulated radiation. The pump light generated by the pump source (such as a semiconductor laser) enters the fiber doped with rare earth elements (such as erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, etc.) through a coupler. Rare earth ions absorb pump light energy and transition to a high energy level, then return to a low energy level through stimulated radiation, releasing photons with the same frequency, phase, and direction as the incident photons, forming laser output. Fiber optic serves as a waveguide medium, guiding laser propagation within the fiber core and forming positive feedback through resonant cavities (such as fiber Bragg gratings) to achieve laser oscillation.
Core structure
Gain fiber: Fiber doped with rare earth elements, which is the core medium for laser generation. Its performance directly affects the output characteristics of the laser.
Pump source: An external light source that provides energy, typically a semiconductor laser. Pump light is injected into the gain fiber through a coupler.
Resonant cavity: composed of fiber Bragg grating, reflection mirror or wavelength selective element, providing optical feedback and amplifying stimulated radiation light.
Coupling device: couples the pump light into the gain fiber and simultaneously outputs a laser signal.
Control system: including power supply system, temperature control, and safety protection module to ensure stable operation of the laser.
Technical characteristics:
High beam quality: The waveguide characteristics of optical fibers result in good laser beam quality, making it suitable for high-precision machining.
High conversion efficiency: The photoelectric conversion efficiency can reach over 20%, significantly saving energy consumption.
High reliability: Fiber laser has a compact structure, maintenance free, and is suitable for harsh working environments.
Thermal management: Fiber surface area/volume ratio, fast heat dissipation, no need for complex cooling systems.
High flexibility: Fiber optic can be flexibly transmitted, supporting multi-dimensional spatial processing, and the mechanical system design is simple.