Ag nanoparticles embedded Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped phosphate glass single-mode fibers

An enhanced 1.53 μm fluorescence was observed in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped phosphate glass containing Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Then Ag NPs embedded Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped phosphate glass single-mode fibers were successfully drawn by using the conventional rod-in-tube technique. A 54 mW single-frequency fiber laser operated at 1.53 μm was built by using a 1.8-cm-long as-drawn fiber. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a 1.53 μm single-frequency fiber laser has been realized with a short piece of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped phosphate glass single-mode fiber containing Ag NPs.