All-fiber polarization interference filter based uniform multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser

We demonstrate a compact and stable room-temperature multiwavelength erbium doped fiber laser by employing 45° tilted fiber gratings based on an all-fiber polarization interference filter. Benefiting from the filter, the channel number, linewidth, uniformity and stabilization of the multiwavelength laser are greatly improved. The filter also works as a functional polarizing device in a nonlinear polarization rotation, leading to the multiwavelength operation. Instead of a highly nonlinear fiber, the single mode fiber is used to provide enough linearity and to reduce the splice loss. More than 80 wavelengths (within a 3 dB bandwidth), lasing with a linewidth of 0.03 nm and a signal-to-noise ratio of 33 dB, are obtained. The wavelength spacing of 0.164 nm agrees with the channel spacing of the filter, and can be flexibly controlled by adjusting the length of the filter.