About the project
This PhD project will focus on advancing the fabrication of active optical fibres, optimising their material properties, and developing specialised coatings to achieve excellent laser efficiency, good beam quality, and effective thermal management for high-power fibre lasers and amplifiers operating at the eye-safe wavelength of 1.55 micrometers (μm) .
Specialty optical fibres form the foundation of numerous technological advancements across diverse fields, including high-power laser systems, advanced manufacturing, and optical communications. Each of these application domains depends critically on the development of fibres with tailored properties to satisfy increasingly demanding performance requirements.
In particular, the power scaling of fibre lasers operating at eye-safe wavelengths (typically around 1.5–2 µm) is strongly influenced by the fibre design and the material properties of both the core and coating, which determine the limits of power handling and thermal management. Meeting these requirements demands advanced fibre fabrication processes that go beyond current industry standards.
In this PhD project, we aim to develop novel optical fibre materials and fabrication techniques for advanced erbium-doped fibres (EDFs) with tailored dopant profiles and large cores, supporting power scaling of pulsed and CW lasers and amplifiers at 1.55 µm. Special fibre coatings will be applied to ensure efficient thermal management at high average powers (several hundred watts) to enhance the robustness and reliability of fibre lasers for practical applications.
The student will also perform a detailed spectroscopic characterisation of the fabricated fibres and participate in testing their performance in high-power lasers.
The research program will provide the candidate with numerous training opportunities, ranging from cleanroom-based fibre fabrication techniques to spectroscopic characterisation of active fibres and fibre lasers.
The School of Optoelectronics (ORC) is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
