Enabling Single-Mode (SM) operation in Large-Mode-Area (LMA) fiber amplifiers and lasers is critical, since a SM output ensures high beam quality and excellent pointing stability. In this paper, we demonstrate and test a new design approach for achieving SM LMA rod fibers by using a photonic bandgap structure. The structure allows resonant coupling of higher-order modes from the core and acts as a spatially Distributed Mode Filter (DMF). With this approach, we demonstrate passive SM performance in an only ~50cm long and straight ytterbium-doped rod fiber. The amplifier has a mode field diameter of ~59µm at 1064nm and exhibits a pump absorption of 27dB/m at 976nm.

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1. C. D. Brooks and F. Di Teodoro, “Multi-megawatt peak-power, single-transverse-mode operation of a 100 µm core diameter, Yb-doped rod-like photonic crystal fiber amplifier,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89(11), 111119 (2006). [CrossRef]
2. J. Limpert, O. Schmidt, J. Rothhardt, F. Röser, T. Schreiber, A. Tünnermann, S. Ermeneux, P. Yvernault, and F. Salin, “Extended single-mode photonic crystal fiber lasers,” Opt. Express 14(7), 2715–2720 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. J. P. Koplow, D. A. V. Kliner, and L. Goldberg, “Single-mode operation of a coiled multimode fiber amplifier,” Opt. Lett. 25(7), 442–444 (2000). [CrossRef]
4. C. Liu, G. Chang, N. Litchinister, D. Guertin, N. Jacobson, K. Tankala, and A. Galvanauskas, “Chirally coupled core fibers at 1550-nm and 1064-nm for effectively single-mode core size scaling,” in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference and Photonic Applications Systems Technologies, OSA Technical Digest Series (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2007), paper CTuBB3.
5. L. Dong, H. A. McKay, L. Fu, M. Ohta, A. Marcinkevicius, S. Suzuki, and M. E. Fermann, “Ytterbium-doped all glass leakage channel fibers with highly fluorine-doped silica pump cladding,” Opt. Express 17(11), 8962–8969 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. M. E. Fermann, “Single-mode excitation of multimode fibers with ultrashort pulses,” Opt. Lett. 23(1), 52–54 (1998). [CrossRef]
7. J. W. Nicholson, J. M. Fini, A. M. DeSantolo, E. Monberg, F. DiMarcello, J. Fleming, C. Headley, D. J. DiGiovanni, S. Ghalmi, and S. Ramachandran, “A higher-order-mode erbium-doped-fiber amplifier,” Opt. Express 18(17), 17651–17657 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
8. F. Jansen, F. Stutzki, H.-J. Otto, M. Baumgartl, C. Jauregui, J. Limpert, and A. Tünnermann, “The influence of index-depressions in core-pumped Yb-doped large pitch fibers,” Opt. Express 18(26), 26834–26842 (2010). [CrossRef]
9. N. Mortensen and J. Folkenberg, “Near-field to far-field transition of photonic crystal fibers: symmetries and interference phenomena,” Opt. Express 10(11), 475–481 (2002). [PubMed]

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• C. D. Brooks and F. Di Teodoro, “Multi-megawatt peak-power, single-transverse-mode operation of a 100 µm core diameter, Yb-doped rod-like photonic crystal fiber amplifier,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89(11), 111119 (2006). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• J. Limpert, O. Schmidt, J. Rothhardt, F. Röser, T. Schreiber, A. Tünnermann, S. Ermeneux, P. Yvernault, and F. Salin, “Extended single-mode photonic crystal fiber lasers,” Opt. Express 14(7), 2715–2720 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• L. Dong, H. A. McKay, L. Fu, M. Ohta, A. Marcinkevicius, S. Suzuki, and M. E. Fermann, “Ytterbium-doped all glass leakage channel fibers with highly fluorine-doped silica pump cladding,” Opt. Express 17(11), 8962–8969 (2009). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. W. Nicholson, J. M. Fini, A. M. DeSantolo, E. Monberg, F. DiMarcello, J. Fleming, C. Headley, D. J. DiGiovanni, S. Ghalmi, and S. Ramachandran, “A higher-order-mode erbium-doped-fiber amplifier,” Opt. Express 18(17), 17651–17657 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• F. Jansen, F. Stutzki, H.-J. Otto, M. Baumgartl, C. Jauregui, J. Limpert, and A. Tünnermann, “The influence of index-depressions in core-pumped Yb-doped large pitch fibers,” Opt. Express 18(26), 26834–26842 (2010). [CrossRef]
• N. Mortensen and J. Folkenberg, “Near-field to far-field transition of photonic crystal fibers: symmetries and interference phenomena,” Opt. Express 10(11), 475–481 (2002). [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• M. E. Fermann, “Single-mode excitation of multimode fibers with ultrashort pulses,” Opt. Lett. 23(1), 52–54 (1998). [CrossRef]
• J. P. Koplow, D. A. V. Kliner, and L. Goldberg, “Single-mode operation of a coiled multimode fiber amplifier,” Opt. Lett. 25(7), 442–444 (2000). [CrossRef]

Other

• C. Liu, G. Chang, N. Litchinister, D. Guertin, N. Jacobson, K. Tankala, and A. Galvanauskas, “Chirally coupled core fibers at 1550-nm and 1064-nm for effectively single-mode core size scaling,” in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference and Photonic Applications Systems Technologies, OSA Technical Digest Series (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2007), paper CTuBB3.

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