Avesta PErL Femtosecond Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser

Overview

The Avesta PErL is a compact, turnkey femtosecond erbium-doped fiber laser engineered for high-stability, low-noise operation in demanding scientific and industrial environments. Operating at a fixed central wavelength of 1560 ± 10 nm—within the telecommunications C-band—the PErL leverages mode-locked erbium-doped fiber oscillator architecture to generate transform-limited pulses with durations tunable from 250 fs to 5 ps. Its design emphasizes robustness against mechanical vibration and thermal drift, making it particularly suitable for OEM integration into ultrafast optical systems where long-term amplitude and timing stability are critical. The laser delivers >50 mW average output power at a fixed repetition rate of 60 ± 5 MHz, with pulse energy exceeding 0.8 nJ. Pulse-to-pulse timing jitter is minimized through active cavity stabilization, enabling precise synchronization in pump-probe spectroscopy, asynchronous optical sampling (ASOPS), and RF-triggered measurement setups.

Key Features

• Compact footprint: 136 × 76 × 24 (27) mm — optimized for embedded integration in multi-instrument platforms
• Transform-limited pulse profile across full tuning range (250 fs–5 ps), verified via autocorrelation and FROG characterization
• Low timing jitter: sub-100 fs RMS integrated jitter (10 Hz–10 MHz), supported by RF sync output via SMA connector (200–300 mV into 50 Ω load)
• Single +5 V DC power requirement — compatible with standard laboratory power supplies and industrial control systems
• FC/APC fiber-coupled output with polarization-maintaining delivery; extinction ratio not specified due to unpolarized emission nature
• No external cooling required — thermally passive design ensures silent, maintenance-free operation

Sample Compatibility & Compliance

The PErL is designed for use with standard single-mode fiber components (SMF-28, PM1550) and integrates seamlessly with commercial ultrafast diagnostics (e.g., intensity autocorrelators, RF spectrum analyzers, photodetectors). It complies with IEC 60825-1:2014 Class 3B laser safety requirements when operated with appropriate interlocks and beam enclosures. While not certified to ISO 13485 or FDA 21 CFR Part 11, its stable output parameters support GLP-compliant experimental workflows in academic and industrial R&D laboratories. Traceable calibration data for average power and repetition rate are provided per unit shipment.

Software & Data Management

The PErL operates as a fully autonomous hardware module without proprietary software dependencies. All operational parameters—including pulse width selection (via factory-set configuration) and power monitoring—are fixed at time of manufacture. Real-time performance validation is achieved using external instrumentation: optical power meters (NIST-traceable), RF spectrum analyzers for repetition rate verification, and second-harmonic generation (SHG) autocorrelators for pulse duration confirmation. For system-level integration, the TTL-compatible RF sync signal enables hardware triggering of oscilloscopes, data acquisition cards, and pump lasers without software mediation—ensuring deterministic latency and eliminating driver-related compatibility issues common in Windows/Linux-based control stacks.

Applications

• OEM integration into ultrafast amplifier seed sources (e.g., EDFA, OPCPA front-ends)
• Optical clock distribution and synchronization in multi-channel ultrafast spectroscopy
• Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) pump source for photoconductive antenna excitation
• High-speed optical sampling in telecom component testing (e.g., modulator response, dispersion measurement)
• Time-resolved photoluminescence and carrier dynamics studies in semiconductors and 2D materials
• Frequency comb applications requiring low phase noise and high repetition rate stability
• Interferometric metrology and absolute distance measurement using asynchronous optical sampling

FAQ

Is the PErL laser polarization-maintaining?
No — the output is unpolarized; polarization-maintaining fiber delivery is not implemented. Users requiring polarized output must add an external polarization controller and in-line polarizer.
Can pulse duration be adjusted in real time during operation?
No — pulse width is factory-configured and fixed per unit. Tuning across the 250 fs–5 ps range requires ordering a custom-configured variant.
What is the maximum allowable back-reflection into the output fiber?
<–30 dB is recommended to avoid destabilization of the mode-locked cavity; an integrated optical isolator is not included but can be added externally.
Does the laser support USB or Ethernet communication?
No — the PErL is a stand-alone analog device with no digital interface; control is limited to DC power application and RF trigger extraction.
Is warm-up time required before achieving rated specifications?
Stabilization occurs within <60 seconds after power-on; full thermal equilibrium (for long-term drift minimization) is reached within 15 minutes.