On the origin of photodarkening resistance in Yb-doped silica fibers with high aluminum concentration

Ytterbium (Yb) doped silica fibers are widely used in high power fiber lasers where co-doping the silica core material with other elements is pivotal for high efficiency, low detrimental effects, and reliable optical properties. Aluminum (Al) is one of the most preferred co-dopants, yet, purely Yb/Al-doped silica fibers suffer from relatively high levels of photodarkening (PD) when used in laser applications. A slightly improved PD-resistance has been reported for increasing Al-doping concentration. However, the source of this improved performance is still unknown. In this article, we present the origin of the improved PD-resistance observed in Yb-doped silica fibers with high Al-concentration. It is found that a high Al-co-doping concentration reduces the interaction strength between the Yb-ion and nearby oxygen ions, resulting in a significant PD-resistance with negligible induced loss in the entire visible spectral range. A negligible PD is observed even for significantly higher Yb-concentrations than commonly used in commercially available Yb-doped silica fibers.