Abstract:
Lasing in bismuth-doped optical fibres in the range 1470 — 1550 nm has been demonstrated for the first time. The gain media were Bi-doped phosphogermanosilicate and, for the first time, germanosilicate glass fibres. The gain spectrum of the phosphogermanosilicate fibres extends from 1300 to 1550 nm, the range which can be used in next-generation optical fibre communication systems.