基于自制的掺镱大模场光子晶体光纤，探索出一种高效快速的光子晶体光纤端面处理工艺。使用二氧化碳激光熔接机对光子晶体光纤进行旋转加热处理，并配合大口径光纤切割刀对塌缩区域进行切割。通过对比光纤在不同激光加热功率和加热时间下的塌缩效果，确定了最佳的加热功率和时间。对端面处理后的光纤进行激光震荡实验，测试光纤的激光性能，与未进行端面处理时的激光实验结果相比较，端面塌缩处理没有对光纤的激光性能产生较大的影响。通过所述的实验方法，成功得到高质量光子晶体光纤塌缩端面，空气孔塌缩界面齐整，且没有对光纤本身的激光性能产生较大的影响。实验工艺周期短、成功率高，证明利用激光加热塌缩来处理光子晶体光纤端面是一种非常有效的方法，极大地拓展了光子晶体光纤的使用范围，具有很强的实用价值。

A large-mode-area (LMA) ytterbium-doped photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with core NA of 0.034 and core diameter of 50 μm was made by the stack-and-draw technique. The core is formed by Yb³⁺/Al³⁺/F /P⁵⁺ co-doped silica glass containing 0.09 mol% Yb₂O₃ with an absorption coefficient at 976 nm up to 3.2 dB/m. The core glass with homogeneous distribution of Yb³⁺ ions and refractive index difference of 4 × 10 ⁴ compared with pure silica was prepared by the sol-gel method and heat homogenization at 2000°C. Laser power amplification of this LMA PCF was studied using a seed source of 21 ps pulse duration and 48.7 MHz repetition rate at 1030 nm wavelength. With pump power of 520 W, a maximum 272 W (266 kW peak power) quasi-single-mode laser output with M² of 2.2 was achieved in a 4.7 m fiber length bent at a diameter of 47 cm with slope efficiency of 52%, and no obvious mode instability, stimulated Raman scattering, or thermal damage on the end facet of the fiber were observed.

Induced loss at 633 nm is tested in Yb3+/Al3+ co-doped silica fiber by a core pumped with a 974 nm laser and probed with a 633 nm laser. The fiber is prepared by the modified chemical vapor deposition method combined with solution doping. Different power scales of pump light and probe light are used in the tests. It is found that there is a dynamic equilibrium between photobleaching induced by 633 nm probe light and photodarkening (PD) induced by 974 nm pump light. For the first time to our knowledge, the effect of 633 nm probe laser power on an induced loss test of Yb3+/Al3+ co-doped silica fiber is studied quantitatively. It suggests that as long as the 633 nm probe light power is less than 0.2 mW, the induced loss is mainly contributed by the PD effect of pumping light, and the deviation of induced loss is less than 5%.

We report on the amplification of high-average-power and high-efficiency picosecond pulses in a self-made very-large-mode-area Yb-doped photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The PCF with a core diameter of 105 μm and a core numerical aperture of 0.05 is prepared by the sol-gel method combined with the powder sintering technique. The fiber amplification system produces the highest average power of 255 W at a 10 MHz repetition rate with a 21 ps pulse duration corresponding to a peak power of 1.2 MW. This result exemplifies the high-average-power and high-peak-power potential of this specifically designed fiber.