A diode-pumped Q-switched Er3+:ZBLAN double-clad, single-transverse mode fiber laser is practically realized. The Q-switched laser characteristics as a function of pump power, repetition rate, and fiber length are experimentally investigated. The results obtained show that the Q-switched operation with 46 µJ pulse energy, 56 ns long pulses, and 0.821 kW peak power is achieved at a pulse repetition rate of 10 kHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest-ever demonstrated peak power emitted from an actively Q-switched, single-transverse mode Er3+:ZBLAN fiber laser operating near 2.8 µm.
Keywords: fiber lasers; fluoride glass fibers; mid-infrared; mid-infrared light sources.