Visible silica fiber laser based on Dy:BaF₂ nanoparticle doping

A silica fiber laser based on Dy³⁺-doped nanoparticles (NPs) and operating at a wavelength of ∼581.5 nm is reported. Specifically, Dy-doped BaF₂ nanoparticles were synthesized, and suspension doped into an aluminosilicate preform fabricated using conventional MCVD methods. Though the precursor BaF₂ reacts partially with the SiO₂ host, a presumed barium rich environment and localized doping persists. Spectroscopic characterization included visible emission spectrum, fluorescence decay, and loss of spectrum measurements and, where applicable, comparisons are made to previously reported Dy³⁺-doped silica visible fiber lasers. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first report on a dysprosium NP-doped silica fiber and visible fiber laser made using this approach. This work paves the way for the development of visible silica fiber lasers with engineered local environments surrounding the rare earth ions.