Bismuth doped fibers BADF-SM-5/125-1160

Bismuth-aluminum co-doped silica fiber opening up the 1125–1200 nm band — where few rare-earth-doped fibers can reach.
Datasheet
BADF-SM-5/125-1160 is a single-mode, bismuth-aluminum co-doped silica fiber, built for amplifiers, lasers and superfluorescent (SFS) sources operating at 1125–1200 nm. This spectral window sits largely outside the reach of standard rare-earth-doped fibers, making BADF-SM-5/125-1160 one of the few commercially available high-gain fibers for the range — with direct relevance to metrology, biomedical imaging and fiber sensing.
Customization — Available with standard acrylate coating (−40…+85 °C) or CIEL-type coating; low-bend-loss variant available for compact designs. Other parameters are available on the request.
Datasheet FAQ

Key Advantages

  • Opens an underserved spectral window — one of few commercial high-gain fibers available for 1125–1200 nm.
  • MCVD-based, >99% silica glass — splices directly to standard fibers (< 0.35 dB with SMF-28, ~0.2 dB with Hi1060).
  • Practical gain and efficiency — >15% differential laser efficiency, 25 dB gain achievable in roughly 150 m of fiber.
  • Pump-flexible — efficiently pumped at 1050–1090 nm, compatible with Yb-fiber lasers or single-mode laser diodes, simplifying system design and cost.
  • Broad, tunable emission — amplification/SFS range of 1125–1200 nm, supporting sources with up to ~50 nm bandwidth.
  • Low-bend-loss variant available — for compact laser and amplifier packaging.
Why it matters: rare-earth-doped fibers (Yb, Er, Tm) leave a real gap around 1125–1200 nm — a window that matters for deep-tissue OCT, fluorescence imaging, and gyroscope/sensor light sources. Bismuth-aluminum active centers (BAC-Al) fill that gap directly in silica glass, without needing an entirely different fiber platform or exotic host glass.

Applications 

SFS sources for 1130–1200 nm (up to ~50 nm bandwidth) for high-resolution OCT
CW and Q-switched lasers at 1178 nm for pumping Raman amplifiers
Fiber-optic gyroscope and sensor light sources
Biomedical lasers for photothermal coagulation, photodynamic therapy and in-vivo fluorescence
Fiber sensors in the 1.15–1.2 µm range
Metrology
FORC PUBLICATIONS OF BISMUTH DOPED FIBERS

Conference: OFC 2021. Autor: Aleksandr Khegai1, Yan Ososkov, Sergei Firstov,Konstantin Riumkin, Sergey Alyshev, Alexander Kharakhordin, Alexey Lobanov, Alexey Guryanov, and Mikhail Melkumov

Journal: Vol.60, No.15, 20 May, 2021 Optical Society of America, Autor: Grzegorz Gomolka, Monika Krajewska, Aleksandr M. Khegai, Sergey V. Alyshev, Aleksey S. Lobanov, Sergei V. Firstov, Dariusz Pysz, Grzegorz Stepniewski, Ryszard Buczynski, Mariusz Klimczak, and Michal Nikodem

Publication: Dec 9, 2020 in Photonics, Author: Grzegorz Gomółka, Monika Krajewska, Małgorzata Kaleta, Aleksandr M. Khegai, Sergey V. Alyshev, Aleksey S. Lobanov, Sergei V. Firstov and Michał Nikodem

Conference: OFC 2020, Author:Aleksandr Khegai, Yan Ososkov, Sergei Firstov,Konstantin Riumkin, etc

Publication: Vol. 59, No. 6 | 20 February 2020 | Applied Optics, Author: Grzegorz Gomolka, Aleksandr M. Khegai, Sergei V. Alyshev, Aleksey S. Lobanov, etc.

Publication: Applied Physics B (2020) 126:87. Author: A. V. KharakhordIn, S. V. Alyshev, E. G. Firstova, A. S. Lobanov, etc.

Publication:Quantum Electronics 48(11) 989-992(2018). Author: M. A. Melkumov, V. Mikhailov, A. M. Khegai, K. E. Rjumkin, etc.

Publication: Laser Phys. Lett. 14(2017) 110001 (5pp). Author: S. V. Firstov, K. E. Riumkin, A. M. Khegai, S. V. Alyshev, M. A Melkumov, etc.

Publication:Quantum Electronics 46(11) 973-975 (2016). Author: E. M. Dianov, K. E. Riumkin, V. F. Khopin, S. V. Alyshev, etc.

Publication: IEEE JSTQE 2014. Autor: I.A. Bufetov, M.A. Melkumov, S.V. Firstov, K.E. Riumkin, A.V. Shubin, V.F. Khopin, A.N. Guryanov, and E.M. Dianov, Member, IEEE

Conference:2010 SPIE. Author: I. A. Bufetov, M. A. Melkumov, V. F. Khopin, S. V. Firstov, etc.
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